Report recommends to ICANN Board how to structure for global Internet community participation

August 27 -- The At-Large Study Committee (ALSC) released for public comment its draft recommendations for ICANN's Board on how to structure participation of the diverse global Internet community ("At-Large membership") within ICANN. "The ALSC has spent the past six months exploring numerous alternatives, listening to different opinions and trying to stimulate a debate on these important issues, and we believe this report identifies the approach with the best chance for consensus support," stated Carl Bildt, ALSC Chair. "By engaging developers of Internet standards and providers of the domain name and address system infrastructure (currently represented in ICANN), as well as creating a voice for Internet users, a system can be built that contributes both to the stability of the Internet and to its constant evolution."

Core recommendations evolved from diverse input including defining an "At-Large member" as "individual domain name holder," and establishing a new "At-Large Supporting Organization" (ALSO). The proposed ALSO would be created to help represent Internet users and foster informed participation by individuals in ICANN, and to conduct a geographically-based ALSO member election to directly elect six At-Large Directors to ICANN's Board, as well as regional and national leadership for an ALSO.

"We think a consensus can form that an ALSO's organized participation mechanisms and election processes will fulfill the mission of involving individuals and representing their interests in ICANN," stated Pindar Wong, ALSC Vice Chair. "Individual domain name holders, as users, have a significant stake in ICANN's activities and should have the opportunity of fully participating in ICANN."

According to the draft report, focusing "At-Large" membership on an identifiable and vested community - individual domain name holders - and creating a framework for informed participation - an ALSO - provides a reasonable mechanism for registration and self-funding, offers a framework for users' involvement in policy and decision-making, and grants individual users a proportionate responsibility for selecting ICANN's Board (along with other ICANN constituencies).

Since ICANN's success depends on the voluntary cooperation of root server operators, Internet service providers, name and address registry operators, and registrars around the world, as well as support from those who might otherwise undermine the Internet's global reach and accessibility, ICANN's ability to fulfill its mission requires global consensus and support, as well as the acquiescence of the world's governments. Continued controversy over the proper role and function of the individual Internet community in ICANN's decision-making processes is harmful to these objectives.

Esther Dyson, ALSC member, stated, "In proposing these draft recommendations on the role of an At-Large membership, our intention is to help create a policy and decision-making structure and process within ICANN that fosters understanding and accommodation among various interests, including individual Internet users. We believe we are recommending such a structure and that it has potential for consensus support. It should help ensure that ICANN's policies truly reflect the needs, interests and rights of all its stakeholders - including those who may not agree with some resulting policies but who will ideally feel that at least their positions were understood and fairly considered."

The ALSC's draft recommendations are issued for the consideration of all interested individuals and organizations. As of August 27, the draft report is widely available on the Internet (at www.atlargestudy.org ) and the ALSC is seeking comments via e-mail ( comments@atlargestudy.org ), public meetings and the like through October 26. Public outreach meetings have been scheduled to receive input and foster discussions about this report: on September 4 in Paris, France, on September 7 in Montevideo, Uruguay, and on October 13 in Moscow, Russia. The ALSC's final report will be submitted to the ICANN Board at its third annual meeting on November 14, 2001.

ABOUT THE ALSC
The ALSC is an independent Committee created by ICANN earlier this year to provide recommendations to ICANN's Board on how to structure the diverse global Internet community's participation within ICANN.  The ALSC is conducting an aggressive outreach, discussion, research, and consensus-building campaign that will culminate with the submission of a final report to the Board in November.   In addition to Carl Bildt, the ALSC includes Charles Costello, Pierre Dandjinou, Esther Dyson, Olivier Iteanu, Ching-Yi Liu, Thomas Niles, Oscar Robles, and Pindar Wong. Biographies of these individuals, and Information on the ALSC, can be found at www.atlargestudy.org .

ABOUT ICANN
ICANN is a technical coordination body for the Internet. Created in October 1998 by a broad coalition of the Internet's business, technical, academic, and user communities, ICANN is assuming responsibility for a set of technical functions previously performed under U.S. government contract by IANA and other groups.  Specifically, ICANN coordinates the assignment of identifiers that must be globally unique for the Internet to function: Internet domain names, IP address numbers, and protocol parameter and port numbers. In addition, ICANN coordinates the stable operation of the Internet's root server system.

As a non-profit, private-sector corporation, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet
communities; and to developing policy through private-sector, bottom-up, consensus-based means. ICANN welcomes the participation of any interested Internet user, business, or organization.

CONTACT
Denise Michel
+1 310 823 9358
dmichel@atlargestudy.org