ICANN 54 Primer

ICANN 54 Primer: Welcome to Dublin

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Important Issues

Domain Privacy

The protocols and policy surrounding WHOIS have not changed much since its conception in the ARPANET days, but the use of WHOIS has changed dramatically. It has become a resource used by law enforcement, domain buyers and data miners alike. This has caused some to register their domains through privacy or proxy registration services. Recently the use of these services has become a center of debate and is one of the topics to look out for at this meeting.

For more information, check out our article on Domain Privacy.

IANA Transition

On March 14, 2015 the US Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it intended to transition stewardship of key internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder community. However, the NTIA stated that the transfer would not occur until ICANN develops a proposal that meets a number of requirements and must have broad community support.

The transition was originally set to take place on 30 September 2015, when that contract term expired, but it became increasingly evident that more time would be required for ICANN to develop an acceptable proposal. The NTIA preemptively extended the contract to 30 September 2016, giving ICANN more time to prepare for the transition. This promises to be an important topic to watch at this meeting.

For More Information, check out our article on the IANA Transition.

Accountability

Since the time ICANN was created, it has been held accountable by the The US government's control of the IANA function. The process of maintaining this accountability after the IANA transition occurs is an extremely important step to be taken before the transition can move forward. ICANN Identified a number of requirements to be met by the proposal before the transition occurs. However, some believe the entire plan is ultimately dependent on improvements to ICANN’s processes and accountability.

New gTLD Program

ICANN’s New gTLD Program was introduced in 2012 as a way to open up competition in the domain name markets. Rather than rely solely on the standard .com, edu, etc., the new gTLDs have delivered broader options in meaning for consumers. Now that the first round of gTLDs have concluded, domainers and industry professionals have their eye on the future of these extensions--will these new top level domains edge into the mainstream, what are their best uses, and how will they succeed after so many years of .com?

For more information, check out our article on the New gTLD Program.

Finding the Next CEO

In May 2015, ICANN announced that Fadi Chehade will be stepping down in March 2016, prior to the end of his contract which was set to expire in June 2017. ICANN established a search committee at ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires, to begin identifying candidates to fill the vacancy. The application period closed on 20 September 2015, beginning the selection process.

Schedule by Topics

(Insert Schedule Here)

ICANN Board

AGM = Annual General Meeting A = Audit, C = Compensation, E = Executive, BG = Board Governance, NGP = New gTLD Program, R = Risk, OEC = Organizational Effectiveness Committee, F = Finance

Fadi Chehadé, CEO & President (September 2012 - March 2016) E, NGP
Steven Crocker, Chair (November 2008 - AGM 2014) A, C, E, NGP
Bruce Tonkin, Vice-Chair (June 2007 - AGM 2016) BG, C, E
Rinalia Abdul Rahim (October 2014 - AGM 2017) NGP, R, OEC
Cherine Chalaby (December 2010 - AGM 2016) F, NGP, BG, E
Chris Disspain (June 2011 - AGM 2017) BG, F, NGP
Asha Hemrajani (October 2014 - AGM 2017) F, NGP
Wolfgang Kleinwächter (November 2013 - AGM 2015)
Markus Kummer (October 2014 - AGM 2017) OEC
[Bruno Lanvin]] (November 2014 - AGM 2017) F, NGP, OEC
Erika Mann (December 2010 - November 2016) A, C, BG, NGP
Gonzalo Navarro (October 2009 - AGM 2015) F, BG, NGP
Raymond A. Plzak (May 2009 - AGM 2015) OEC, A, NGP
George Sadowsky (October 2009 - AGM 2015) C, A, NGP
Michael Silber (May 2009 - AGM 2015) R, BG, NGP
Kuo-Wei Wu (April 2010 - AGM 2016) NGP, R, OEC