Dear Councilors, Please see a summary of the topics the Board will be discussing at ICANN 81 below. In addition to these topics, Council Leadership is considering the following for our session with the Board: 1. The Board letter regarding contention set resolution (and SubPro recommendation 20.6) 2. Our letter re: issues related to the dismissal of the IPC’s RFR concerning Auction Proceeds 3. Our letter re: Urgent Requests We will discuss during AOB at our Thursday meeting. Please let us know if you have additional topics or if you think any of the topics listed above are not well-suited for our meeting with the Board. Thanks, Greg From: Vinciane Koenigsfeld <vinciane.koenigsfeld@icann.org> Sent: Monday, October 7, 2024 11:12 PM To: gnso-chairs@icann.org; DiBiase, Gregory <dibiase@amazon.com>; nacho@amadoz.cat; mesumbeslin@gmail.com Cc: Board Ops Team <board-ops-team@icann.org>; Steve Chan <steve.chan@icann.org>; Mary Wong <mary.wong@icann.org> Subject: [EXTERNAL] ICANN81 Stakeholders/Board sessions CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you can confirm the sender and know the content is safe. Sent on behalf of Tripti Sinha, Chair, ICANN Board of Directors Dear Generic Names Supporting Organization Council Leaders, Our Annual General Meeting (9-14 November) is approaching quickly, and the Board and I are looking forward to meeting with all of you in Istanbul. It will be our final meeting of 2024, a year marked by both challenges and progress. Notably, we celebrated the selection of our new CEO, Kurtis Lindqvist, who will soon officially take on the role. As we finalize our new five-year Strategic Plan and continue collaborating on key projects critical to ICANN’s future—including the launch of the Next Round of new gTLDs— we remain committed to strengthening our partnership. In keeping with our practice before ICANN79, the Board plans to hold an open engagement session during Prep Week of ICANN81, allowing interested community members to engage directly with the Board on specific topics. This session will be held on 28 October at 15:00 UTC. The 60-minute session will feature two breakout rooms, each hosted by different Board members and focused on distinct topics. After a brief welcome plenary, participants will be invited to join one of the two breakout rooms for a 45-minute discussion with the Board hosts. Attendees will have the flexibility to move between the breakout rooms. The session will conclude with a summary from each Board host on the discussions held in their respective breakout rooms. Topic 1: Future of the new gTLD Program: Applications in rounds or continuously accepting applications (first come, first serve)? * Led by Becky Burr and Alan Barrett * Format of the engagement: discussion and soliciting input * Description: To date, the new gTLD Program has operated in rounds, allowing applicants to submit their applications within specific time windows. The last round took place in 2012, and the next one is expected to open in 2026. Due to concerns raised by the Board, the GNSO Council has expressed interest<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2023/correspondence/ducos-...> in collaborating with the ICANN Board on the long-term evolution of the program, potentially moving away from the current round-based approach. Several issues have been identified with the round-based approach, including: 1. Dealing with contention sets, which have proven to be one of the most complex and litigious part of the program. 2. The costs and challenges of repeatedly switching the program on and off. 3. The sense of scarcity and rush to apply created by limited application windows. This session will explore what a future New gTLD Program might look like if applications were submitted continuously, similar to ICANN’s approach for other programs like registrar accreditation. Key questions to consider include: · What advantages, if any, are there to maintaining the round-based system? · What challenges would arise from a continuously open New gTLD Program? · Are there alternative models that could address the identified issues? · Given current priorities, what is a realistic timeline for developing policies on this issue that would allow a different approach? Topic 2: RDRS Community Feedback * Led by Maarten Botterman and Wes Hardaker * Format of the engagement: discussion and soliciting input * Description: The Board seeks to understand the community’s perception of RDRS after nearly a year of operations, particularly whether the community agrees that the service could be a suitable permanent solution for access to registration data. This feedback will help guide the Board’s next steps in discussions with the GNSO Council regarding the future of the EPDP Phase 2 policy recommendations for a System for a Standardized/Access Disclosure The Board looks forward to this engagement opportunity and encourages your active participation. Please note that ICANN Staff will support this engagement session and take notes. However, there will be technical limitations in the breakout rooms, including the absence of interpretation and transcription services. As always, we will listen to your specific needs during our bilateral sessions. In keeping with our established practice, we will also ask a question to your Group ahead of our joint session in Istanbul. - The Board has been continuing work on a Global Public Interest Framework in relation to ICANN policy making, and has recently finalised a draft GPI Framework Checklist. The Board is eager to hear feedback from the Council on this checklist, including whether the Council feels this will be a useful policy development tool and any thoughts on how it could be further developed. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this soon. We kindly request that you send any questions you would like the Board to address during our face-to-face meetings to Board Operations (board-ops-team@icann.org<mailto:board-ops-team@icann.org>). Given the limited time for these meetings, please prioritize your questions in order of importance. We would appreciate receiving your questions no later than Wednesday 30 October 2024. Looking forward to our discussions during Prep Week and ICANN81! Best regards, Tripti Sinha Chair, ICANN Board of Directors