January 2008 - NA-Discuss - lists.icann.org

ICANN Board Recommends Action on Domain Tasting
by Nick Ashton-Hart Feb. 25, 2008

Feb. 25, 2008

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-29jan08.htm ICANN Board Recommends Action on Domain Tasting Suggested fee change would effectively eliminate tasting 29 January 2008 MARINA DEL REY, Calif.: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is looking to effectively end domain tasting with a proposal to start charging the annual ICANN fee on registrar domain registrations. Domain tasting is the use of the Add Grace Period to test the profitability of a domain name registration. The AGP is a five-day period following the initial registration of a domain name when the registration may be deleted and a credit can be issued to a registrar. "Domain tasting has been an issue for the Internet community and ICANN is offering this proposal as a way to stop tasting," said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN's President and CEO. "Charging the ICANN fee as soon as a domain name is registered would close the loophole used by tasters to test a domain name's profitability for free." AGP was originally introduced by registries so registrars could avoid costs if a domain name was mistyped or misspelled during the registration process. It is part of the .com, .net, .org, .info, .name, .pro, and .biz registry contracts. Tasting has been a serious challenge for the Internet community and has grown exponentially since 2004. In January 2007 the top 10 domain tasters accounted for 95% of all deleted .com and .net domain names - or 45,450,897 domain names out of 47,824,131 total deletes. The proposal will be part of the ICANN budget process for the fiscal year starting 1 July 2008. The early draft version of that budget will be released for and discussed at ICANN's New Delhi meeting later this month. After public discussions of this proposal and other budget issues, the proposed budget will be released for addition discussions by 17 May 2008 and be voted on at the board meeting to be held during the ICANN meeting in Paris in June. ICANN accredited registrars representing two-thirds of fees collected will be asked to approve the proposal. "This idea came from the ICANN community and we think it is a viable solution the Internet community has been seeking," Dr Twomey added. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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FW: Guide to the DNS for End Users
by Thompson, Darlene Jan. 31, 2008

Jan. 31, 2008

Hi all, Please see e-mail below and send me and comments that you may have on same so that I can ensure that they are incorporated into this document. Thanks and have a great weekend, all! D Darlene A. Thompson Community Access Program Administrator Nunavut Department of Education/N-CAP c/o P.O. Box 1000, Station 910 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Phone: (867) 975-5631 Fax: (867) 975-5610 dthompson(a)gov.nu.ca ________________________________ From: Nick Ashton-Hart [mailto:Nick.Ashton-Hart@icann.org] Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 3:29 PM To: Thompson, Darlene; Bilal S. Beirm; Evan Leibovitch; Edmon Chung; Pavan Budhrani; Carlton Samuels; Wolf Ludwig; Jeanette Hofmann; Didier Rukeratabaro Kasole Cc: Cheryl Langdon-Orr Subject: Guide to the DNS for End Users Dear Secretariat colleagues: You will recall that one of the work tracks discussed in Los Angeles was the completion of the guide to the DNS, currently languishing in draft form. I believe I forwarded this to you after the LA meeting, but to refresh your memory, here it is again. I will arrange to have printed copies for the Secretariat meeting but is it possible that a timeline could be agreed for providing all comments on the draft not later than the end of February from all of you, so that we could then have whatever amendments you suggest reflected in the text and arrange for it to be translated etc.? For those who wonder, the reason that ccTLDs are not a part of the guide is because the original vision was to produce a gTLD guide, and after that a ccTLD guide - which of course we can still do - but it would be hard to persuade those upstream of me to spend money on the second guide until we have the first one finalised :) If you feel that there are certain elements which should be contained in the guide that are specific to one region, we can of course produce regional versions of the guide. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director for At-Large Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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Further Information on At-Large Community Input into ICANN Budgeting and Operational Plans
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 30, 2008

Jan. 30, 2008

Dear At-Large Community Members: As promised, this is a follow-up to Denise's email about input into this year's budgeting process, forwarded to you 9th January 2008 (You may view this at the ALAC Budget Subcommittee pages at https://st.icann.org/alac/index.cgi?finance_and_budget_committee) . Whilst her email was forwarded to the At-Large community, it may be useful for you to know that the same solicitation of input is being made to the various Advisory Committees and Supporting Organizations (ACs and SOs) as ICANN hopes that all of them will provide their views on this most important subject. As Doug Brent, ICANN's COO, mentioned during his discussions with representatives of the At-Large Community at the ICANN Los Angeles meeting, this budget is being prepared together with the operating plan – this is different from previous years, when the two plans were developed separately. I'm sure you'll agree, this is a real improvement, as it is often difficult to separate operational planning from budgeting. As a result of this, and based upon the timeframe provided by Denise to all ACs and SOs, we are asking all parts of the At-Large community – and especially the RALOs – to provide their views on what the community needs in the coming fiscal years to further develop its ability to grow and provide policy input from the At-Large perspective. We very much hope that the At-Large community also will comment on other areas of ICANN's work that will be detailed in the proposed budget and operating plan. In order for your input -- especially on At-Large's operations and budgets -- to be fully considered, please use the following schedule, which takes into account the schedule provided by Denise in her email: 1 March 2008 – Initial deadline for input on At-Large activities, for input into the draft budget and operating plan for its first first round of consultations. March 2008 (approximately) - First round of consultations with all stakeholders on the first round draft budget. Late April (approximately) – A second round budget and operating plan is produced for second round comments from all stakeholders, incorporating comments received from the first round. May 15 (approximately) – Second round comments from At-Large are needed not later than mid-May. June – Board of Directors to vote on budget and operating plan. ICANN Staff soon will be providing a draft budget and operating plan to act as a starting point for discussions, and there will be opportunities to discuss the subject during the New Delhi meeting. As to the modalities of providing input from the At-Large community, there is no 'magic' formula or format for providing input. This is important as we would not want to inadvertently create processes which have the unintended consequence of reducing the ability of every ALS to comment on anything related to ICANN, budgeting and operational planning included. Input provided can be detailed or general, and it can come from the RALOs, the ALAC, or even individual ALSes. All submissions received will be carefully considered. Please send your comments **on At-Large-related activities ONLY** directly to staff(a)alac.icann.org. You, of course, should feel free to make your views known to your RALO colleagues and to the ALAC members. A general public comment list will be opened soon to accept input on any aspect of ICANN's proposed operating plan and budget. You also are encouraged to discuss these subjects on this list and during public consultations that will be held on these subjects. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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About ccTLD in LAC - Reports, Facts, Stats, Event
by Erick Iriarte Ahon Jan. 28, 2008

Jan. 28, 2008

Hi. The past year we started a completely study about the ccTLD in LAC (including domain names, ip numbers, internet users, price of domains, and anothers issues). This study is to research about policies and ccTLDs. The last of the year was for December (you can see here: http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=articl…) Each month we increase and continue the repot, so you can find the first days of each month the report in: LatinoamerICANN (http://latinoamericann.org) In another way, we published the "Ranking of principal facts for 2007 in ccTLDs in LAC", you can see here: http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=articl… Finally this year we will have the VIII Iberoamerican Conference of Domain Names and Internet Governance in Mexico DF, in October, will be a real pleasure have your participation. If you want to participate in LatinoamerICANN Project please send me an email :) Yours, Erick Iriarte Ahon Alfa-Redi http://www.alfa-redi.org

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New Delhi Schedule & Documents for At-Large
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 28, 2008

Jan. 28, 2008

Dear All: Since the time for New Delhi is almost upon us, allow me to provide you with links to documents, agendas, schedules, and travel information. For all At-Large meetings, and links to documents and travel info, please visit https://st.icann.org/alac/index.cgi?new_delhi_meeting APRALO has its own page at https://st.icann.org/asiapac/index.cgi?new_delhi_meeting Note that there will be further information related to travel shortly posted on the travel information page for those attending in person, and of course agendas will be filled in as they come available - and since it is a Wiki, the community members are of course able to create these for yourself, no need to wait for me - you can optionally also leave comments on these pages too, with ideas, thoughts, and perspectives. If you have suggestions for other documents which should be linked to the documents page do send them in. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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IDN Glossaries now available in several languages
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 23, 2008

Jan. 23, 2008

Dear All: I'm happy to let you know that the IDN Glossary is now available in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, Arabic, and Simplified Chinese - all from http://www.icann.org/topics/idn/idn-glossary.htm -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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Input Period Extended into Issues Report for the IDN ccPDP
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 22, 2008

Jan. 22, 2008

Dear At-Large: I've been asked to convey the following to you which I suspect will be of interest to many of you: At its meeting on 2 October 2007 the ccNSO Council requested the creation of an Issue Report as a first step in launching a ccPDP. To identify matters that are potentially relevant to the Issues Report, a comment period was opened on 19 December 2007 and would remain open until 25 January 2008. In the Issue Report the following needs to be considered: 1. Whether Article IX of the ICANN bylaws applies to IDN ccTLDs associated with the ISO 3166-1 two letter codes, and if it does not then to establish if Article IX should apply. 2. Whether the ccNSO should launch a PDP to develop the policy for the selection and delegation of IDN ccTLDs associated with the ISO 3166-1 two-letter codes. As you may have noted both the GNSO Council and ccNSO Council have send a letter to the ICANN Board relating to core elements of the IDN ccPDP. It is anticipated the ccNSO and GNSO Council will meet during the ICANN meeting in New Delhi to explain and discuss the background of the views expressed in the letters. It is my view as Issue Manager of the ccPDP that the outcome of such a meeting, if it will be convened, is significant as input for the Issues Report. Therefore the period to provide input into the Issues Report is extended from 25 January until 22 February 2008. According to the ICANN by laws the creation of the Issue Report is the second step in launching the IDN ccPDP. The first step was the request of the ccNSO Council on 2 October 2007 to create an Issue Report. The final step is the decision of the ccNSO Council to initiate the ccPDP (see ICANN by laws Annex B, section 2). -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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FW: Proposed for Delhi schedule
by Brendler, Beau Jan. 22, 2008

Jan. 22, 2008

FYI. -----Original Message----- From: Brendler, Beau Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 10:38 AM To: 'Nick Ashton-Hart'; 'ALAC internal list' Subject: Proposed for Delhi schedule I have three suggestions for the schedule: * Two hours set aside somewhere to create an ALAC response to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce/NTIA evaluation of ICANN. The deadline is Feb. 15. * Would the ALAC like to meet with the GAC? I had a lengthy conversation with Suzanne Sene of the NTIA, who is also on the GAC, who offered to help foster a get-together between the two groups in Delhi. She had a GAC conference call yesterday, and said she would get back to me by the end of the week as to the GAC's receptiveness to this idea. (I also asked her to bring up the notion of the ALAC liaison to the GAC). * Would the ALAC like to meet with Jon Nevett, one of the co-chairs of the registrar constituency? After Danny and I wrote to him, he proposed a meeting between the two constituencies in Delhi. Let me know if the GAC and registrar meetings are of interest to the whole ALAC, otherwise I will go ahead and schedule them among interested parties only. Beau -----Original Message----- From: alac-internal-bounces(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org [mailto:alac-internal-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] On Behalf Of Nick Ashton-Hart Sent: Monday, January 21, 2008 1:07 PM To: 'ALAC internal list' Subject: [ALAC-Internal] At-Large schedule for the New Delhi Meeting Dear ALAC Members and Secretariats: Could you please review the schedule at: https://st.icann.org/alac/index.cgi?new_delhi_meeting at your earliest convenience and let us all know if you have any issues with it. I have worked closely with Cheryl in order to try and ensure that there is meeting time available for the community which (to the extent possible) does not conflict with the ability of At-Large attendees to attend the many other sessions which might be of interest. As you all are aware this is not a perfect process :) I have reproduced it below so you can easily see it if not online when you receive this note: 31st International ICANN Meeting - New Delhi, India At-Large Community Schedule of Events and Resources Page New Delhi Documents For all documents relevant to the community for the New Delhi Meeting Check back often or subscribe to the RSS Feed on this page for continuous updates. ALAC Task List for Delhi Meeting New Delhi Travel Information The place to find information about all aspects of your stay in New Delhi. Updated as more information becomes available. Meetings Schedule - At-Large Community Sunday, 10 February 10 February 2008 0900-1830 - ALAC "OneDay"/First Session Monday, 11 February 11 February 2008 0900 - 1100 - APRALO General Assembly, First Session TBC - TBC (Early Evening) Cocktails and Hors d'Oeuvres with ALAC, Regional Secretariats, and the ccNSO Council Tuesday, 12th February - Constituency Day 12 February 2008 08:30 - 10:30 - At-Large Regional Secretariats 12 February 2008 BO 10:30 - 12:30 - At-Large Community with ICANN Board Members 12 February 2008 13:30 - 15:30 - APRALO General Assembly, Second Session Wednesday, 13th February There are several excellent workshops throughout the day which are of interest to the community so it is proposed to leave this day free. TBC - TBC (Early Evening) Cocktails and Hors d'Oeuvres with ALAC, Regional Secretariats, and the GNSO Council Thursday, 14th February 12:45 - 13:00 - APRALO MoU Signing Ceremony At-Large Advisory Committee Main Meeting (2 parts) 14 February 2008 SU 16:00 - 17:00 - At-Large Summit Planning 14 February 2008 - 1700 - 1900 - ALAC, Secretariats, and RALOs Joint Session Additional Meetings, Date of Session Currently Unscheduled None currently known Notes: If APRALO doesn't need a second session, perhaps the Tuesday slot could be used for an outreach meeting. Selected main meeting sessions that may be of interest to At-Large Community members You may also wish to refer to the main ICANN Meeting Schedule. 11 February 11:00 - 12:30 - Public Discussion on JPA Review of ICANN by USG's NTIA 15:00 - 19:00 - IDN Workshop: Progress on the Fast-Track Process for Intro of a Limited Number of IDN ccTLDs 13 February 08:30 - 12:00 - GNSO Council Meeting 13:00 - 15:00 - WORKSHOP: IDNs in Indian Languages and Scripts 15:30 - 16:00 - WORKSHOP: ICANN Translation Policy 16:00 - 17:00 - ccNSO Council Meeting 16:30 - 17:30 - WORKSHOP: ICANN Operating Plan 14 February 08:30 - 10:00 - ICANN Public Forum (1st part) 10:30 - 12:45 - ICANN Public Forum (2nd part) 14:00 - 15:30 - WORKSHOP: New gTLDs 15 February 08:30 - 13:00 - Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director for At-Large Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart *** Scanned

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Review of the Joint Partnership Agreement (JPA) between ICANN and the US Government
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 17, 2008

Jan. 17, 2008

Dear All: The Joint Project Agreement between the United States government and ICANN will have a mid-term review in March. As part of this review, the US government put out a Notice of Inquiry (http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2007/ICANN_JPA_110207.html ) asking for comments on the continued transition to the private sector of the technical coordination and management of the Internet’s domain name and addressing system (DNS). ICANN has responded to this call with several documents: a section in our Annual Report (http://www.icann.org/annualreport/annual-report-2006-2007.pdf ); a letter of submission (http://icann.org/correspondence/dengate-thrush-to-sene-09jan08.pdf ); and a table of achievements (http://icann.org/general/jpa-10-responsibilities-table-09jan08.pdf ). You can review the progress ICANN has reported to the USG on each of the 10 responsibilities in the JPA individually on pages 12 to 18 of the Annual Report. The seven-page submission letter (http://icann.org/correspondence/dengate-thrush-to-sene-09jan08.pdf ), sent on 9th January 2008, is signed by ICANN's chairman of the Board, Peter Dengate Thrush, and outlines the Board's position that it has met fully its obligations and responsibilities. The JPA can now be completed. And finally, the table of achievements (http://icann.org/general/jpa-10-responsibilities-table-09jan08.pdf ), whose index runs to 41 pages and when printed out runs to several hundred pages of evidential documentation, demonstrates what precisely ICANN has done in completion of the Joint Project Agreement. ICANN would like to encourage all interested parties to review the documents and particularly to contact the United States government and make their views known. Over the course of the next few months, ICANN will add more information about the review and its progress on www.icann.org . ICANN welcomes your feedback and assistance either on the ICANN blog, at http://blog.icann.org/?p=262, on the public participation website, at http://public.icann.org/, or by email to: http://icann.org/general/contact.htm . Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart Director, At-Large ICANN Main Tel: +33 (450) 40 46 88 USA Tel: +1 (202) 657-5460 Fax: +41 (22) 594-85-44 Mobile: +41 (79) 595 54-68 email: nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org Win IM: ashtonhart(a)hotmail.com / AIM/iSight: nashtonhart(a)mac.com / Skype: nashtonhart Online Bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonhart

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Fwd: Development Cycle for Next Fiscal Year's Budget and Operations Plan
by Nick Ashton-Hart Jan. 9, 2008

Jan. 9, 2008

Dear At-Large: I forward the below on behalf of Denise as I know this subject is one that many members of the community are interested in. As mentioned below, more information will be provided in due course by myself. Begin forwarded message: > From: Denise Michel <michel(a)icann.org> > Date: 8 January 2008 20:27:34 GMT+01:00 > To: Nick Ashton-Hart <nick.ashton-hart(a)icann.org> > Subject: Development Cycle for Next Fiscal Year's Budget and > Operations Plan > > Please provide to the ALAC and RALOs. > > Thanks. > > --------------------------------- > Greetings At-Large Community. > > ICANN is beginning its development cycle for the Fiscal Year June > 2008- July > 2009 Operating Plan and Budget, and your input would be appreciated. > > I wanted to provide you with early information on this activity to > give you > ample opportunity to provide comments. You will receive a detailed > schedule > when it is finalized. Additionally, Nick Ashton-Hart will follow-up > with > At-Large-specific information on operations and budgets. > > Based on the June 2008 - July 2011 Strategic Plan, for which extensive > public comment was sought last year, and on the current operating > plans and > department budgets, ICANN staff will be developing an initial draft > Operating Plan and Budget to serve as a starting point for community > discussion during the ICANN meeting in New Delhi, which begins 10 > February. > The Board's Finance Committee oversees this work. > > ICANN will hold a series of consultations and take public comment on > its > Operating Plan and Budget through March (approximately), and then > staff will > incorporate the input, as appropriate, and a proposed Operating Plan > and > Budget will be available for further public comment until mid-May > (approximately). The Board is scheduled to consider and vote on the > Operating Plan and Budget in June. ICANN's next fiscal year begins > on 1 > July 2008. > > As noted, the specific timeline is being developed, but I wanted to > give you > advance notice of the general schedule that will be followed, and more > detailed information for At-Large will be forthcoming from Nick. > ICANN staff > looks forward to working with you on this endeavor. > > Regards, > Denise Michel > VP Policy Development > ICANN

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ALAC conference call: NTIA, communications help
by Brendler, Beau Jan. 8, 2008

Jan. 8, 2008

Briefly, as I am pressed for time: In the ALAC call today, Alan and I brought up the issue of an NTIA response from ALAC. It was my understanding that Cheryl Langdon-Orr shared the NA RALO's position on the importance of making comment, and indicated the AP RALO would probably make one too. In addition, there was a commitment at least in principle to setting aside some time in Delhi to discuss the NTIA document and possibly take action before the 15th. In addition to Wendy's efforts, it would be helpful for RALOS and ALSs to review the document and provide us with any statements you want made, specifically pertaining to the comments section towards the bottom of the page: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2007/ICANN_JPA_110207.html It was also acknowledged that there was some difficulty understanding the role of the rapporteur in communications with ALAC/ALSs/RALOs, though less resolution on what to do about that. But keep in mind that Hawa is brand-new to the role. See list here of ALAC officers: https://st.icann.org/alac/index.cgi?action=display_html;page_name=at_lar ge_officers_and_working_group_leaders Also, Nick Ashton-Hart noted that he is in the process of hiring a junior person on staff whose job description sounds like it addresses a number of the communications concerns addressed in yesterday's NA RALO call. That's all for now, will keep you updated on other issues. Beau Brendler

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IGF at Taj Palace
by Sylvia Caras Jan. 7, 2008

Jan. 7, 2008

The third meeting of the IGF will be held on 8-11 December 2008 in New Delhi at the Taj Palace, Diplomatic Enclave. I don't know how I know that, I think it was on a Rio handout. I have miles and points to go, have an outbound flight, and am now holding my breath fwaiting to see if I can get the return award. Sylvia

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Agenda for today's call
by Evan Leibovitch Jan. 7, 2008

Jan. 7, 2008

Hello everyone, According to the schedule that was previously discussed, we have a conference call set for 3pm Eastern time today. If there are any issues that anyone would like to discuss, letting me know in advance is helpful if not critical. Here are issues that are up for discussion today: 1) Do we want to produce comments for the NTIA transition review? http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2007/ICANN_JPA_110207.html If so, do we want it as an ALAC statement/project or is this internal to NARALO? 2) Does NARALO have anything to say to follow up on the issue of Venue Accessibility for ICANN meetings? Or has the issue been discussed sufficiently in the At-Large mailing list? 3) One nasty aftermath of the ALAC statement on domain tasting was the assertion by Alan that it is current ALAC policy that, in its decision-making process, "silence means consent". I personally find this policy quite disturbing for a number of reasons, and I believe that ALAC needs to abandon this stance as a matter of its own credibility. I would like to NARALO's backing to press ALAC to change that policy -- if it does not get enough feedback to a request given suitable time, lack of response should never be seen as acceptance. 4) Reports from Wendy, Beau and Robert -- even brief ones -- about recent Board and ALAC activities would be appreciated. 5) According to http://icann.org/public_comment/#nomcom-review the comment period for the Nominating Committee review has not closed. Does NARALO have anything to offer? Are there any other issues at http://icann.org/public_comment that warrant our direct participation? 6) It's been a while since we heard the status of any North American ALSs in the process of being reviewed. Are there many new ones coming on board soon? Is the loss of Jacob damaging ICANN's work to recruit new ALSs? What more could/should be done? Anyway, that's what I have. Feel free to add. Talk to you later today! - Evan

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