Dear Working Group members, Thank you for your eagle eyes and helpful comments on the last draft of our Initial Report, last circulated in December 2016. Staff has now updated the draft with all the suggestions and comments received. The updated draft Initial Report is available for download and review on our WG wiki space, in both clean and redlined Word and PDF versions (as you prefer): https://community.icann.org/x/ZwG4Aw. Please note that there are likely to be some remaining formatting and typographical errors that staff has not yet caught in this version; we will of course be sure to review the final document carefully prior to publishing for public comment. Please note also that we have added in the latest WG Charter (as amended by the GNSO Council in April 2015) and new Annexes (per Phil’s suggestion) that show the full text of the IGO Small Group Proposal and compilation of GAC advice on the topic since 2012. We have also restored the footnote numbering in Professor Swaine’s memo and added in a list of WG members. As agreed on our last call, please let us know if you spot any significant errors or omissions by next Friday 13 January 2017. Following that date, staff will do one last pass through the document and prepare it for publication for public comment, early the following week (week beginning 16 January 2017). With a 40-day comment period, this means that the public comment forum will close at the end of February, in time for ICANN58. Thanks and cheers Mary Mary Wong Senior Policy Director Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Email: mary.wong@icann.org Telephone: +1-603-5744889