This is a brief note from the NPOC Policy Committee. As a non-profit organization/civil society (NPO/CS) constituency group within ICANN, NPOC has two goals:

·         As part of ICANN’s multistakeholder governance mandate, it is important that NPOC increase the voice of the NPO/CC constituency in the policies of ICANN as they affect the stability and security of the global Domain Names System (DNS) and the legitimacy of the multistakeholder model in Internet governance.

·         It is also important that NPOC assist the NPO/CC constituency with its awareness and understanding of the impacts of ICANN and Internet governance polices on the ability of NPO/CC organizations to effectively pursue their own missions and visions.

This note is about progress on the first goal.

ICANN multistakeholder policy making is “bottom up”. When a policy issue arises the ICANN process strikes a multistakeholder chartering group to develop terms of reference for a multistakeholder Policy Development Process Working Group which works up a consensus policy proposal to be considered by the ICANN multistakeholder community.

While stakeholders, including NPOC members, are urged to get involved early in the policy development, it is recognized that NPO/CC stakeholder organizations have limited resources and volunteer time to be deeply involved in issues of Internet governance.

Within ICANN there is however one last opportunity to comment on policy proposals, one which would demand little time from NPOC members, and that is the final “Comments Period”, the last review stage before a policy proposal is finalized, to be approved by consensus and sent to the ICANN board for implementation.  

To assist NPO/CC engagement the NPOC Policy Committee will produce very brief “NPOC Notice of Call for Comment” postings here. Postings that contain a link to the comments page, the deadline for comments, and a sentence or two linking the policy to NPO/CS self-interests.

Please take the time to comment when you can, and feel free to also use this forum <npoc-discuss> if you have questions or wish to raise issues around policy proposals. You are of course urged and welcome to get involved in the policy process as early as possible. This is an important step in insuring NPO/CS engagement in Internet policy.

Sam Lanfranco, Chair,

NPOC Policy Committee