Dear Committee: It may be useful to tell you that, due to the Ynternet investigation, plus the application of others which have opened questions about how to judge the suitability of certain types of applications, I'm compiling a draft note for your consideration on how to interpret the criteria for determining the suitability of applicant ALSes to join the community. Hopefully it can serve to provide further objective criteria for analysis of applications, especially in the post-RALO-formation world where the number of stakeholders looking at new applications will considerably increase. It would seem to be logical, with the volume of applications rising and at the same time the number of people looking at applications also increasing with the MoU provisions for a more engaged regional role in ALS applications decisions, that we compile together some guidance for analysing ALS applications, based upon the considerable experience of nearly 100 applications being received and the vast majority being handled increasingly expeditiously easily. Naturally the end result of how to interpret the criteria for ALS status would be in the hands of the community, since it is the community that has the actual decision as to who is to be considered a member - the decision being made of course through the lens provided by the Bylaws of ICANN and the board-accepted critera which rely upon the Bylaw provisions. What I hope to help provide you with is the basis for greater certainty about what the provisions mean, to facilitate an agreement amongst the community about how to decide the merits of applications. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN PO Box 32160 London N4 2XY United Kingdom UK Tel: +44 (20) 8800-1011 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +44 (20) 7681-3135 mobile: +44 (7774) 932798 Win IM: ashtonhart@hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart@mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart