Hello everyone, The WG chairs have asked me to follow up on the possibility of inviting subject matter experts to assist the WG with our deliberations. As the Working Group Guidelines contemplate that these decisions are to be made by the WG as a whole, we cannot extend any invitations without the WG¹s agreement to do so. As we are currently trying to finalize the Initial Report, it would therefore be helpful to the WG, if you plan to suggest names, to also provide the following: * A brief description of the specific topic(s) the expert is expected to address * How the expert¹s qualifications and/or expertise on the matter (e.g. legal, technical) would address a gap in the WG¹s research, representativeness or other aspect of our work * Whether it would be more helpful to have the expert provide a written briefing note to the WG in lieu of, or prior to, a call * How much time (if a call is preferred) to allocate and any scheduling preferences (please see the latest draft Work Plan, attached) Here is the relevant provision from the WG Guidelines: "If the WG determines that it needs additional educational briefings occurring upfront or as issues emerge during deliberations, it should identify its specific requests to the [Chartering Organization] including subject matter(s), type(s) of expertise, objectives, and costs. If additional costs are involved, prior approval must be obtained from the [Chartering Organization]. Additionally, a WG may, at any stage throughout its deliberations, decide to seek input from self formed groups and/or individuals with the aim of further informing WG members about matters that fall within the remit of the WG and which are of interest to the ICANN community." Thanks and cheers Mary Mary Wong Senior Policy Director Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN) Telephone: +1 603 574 4892 Email: mary.wong@icann.org