~ THE ROLE OF THE WORLD'S INTERNET USERS IN ICANN ~

We would like to arrange for translations. If you will need translation assistance, or you would like to volunteer to be a translator at this meeting, please send an email to dmichel@atlargestudy.org.

If you are interested in improving ICANN and helping the general Internet community, come and participate in the At Large Membership Study Committee’s first meeting. The Committee was recently formed to forge a consensus on the best method for representing the world's Internet users ("At Large Members") within ICANN.

The meeting will be chaired by Pindar Wong (Committee Vice Chair), immediate past Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Internet Association and Chairman of VeriFi (Hong Kong) Ltd. It will include structured discussions about how to achieve a broad consensus on an appropriate and effective means by which Internet stakeholders worldwide may participate in ICANN's activities and decisions. This includes both how they can give input to ICANN (directly or through representatives), and how that input should affect ICANN's overall decision-making processes. The Committee plans to submit its final recommendations to ICANN’s Board by November of this year.

Some issues to be addressed at this meeting include:

• How should the Committee structure this global consensus-building effort?
• What issues should be addressed?
• What are the benefits and goals of At Large involvement?
• To what degree should the general Internet community be involved in ICANN?
• How should "At Large Member" be defined?
• Should there be membership requirements, and if so what should they be?
• What processes and structures should be established within ICANN for At Large Member involvement?
• What role would you and/or your organization like to play in helping to create a consensus recommendation on At Large?

If you are unable to attend, please share your views with us by sending an email to "comments@atlargestudy.org". If you would like to receive future announcements on our activities, please add your name to the mailing list on our website at "www.atlargestudy.org," or send an email with your name and email address to "list@atlargestudy.org". The Committee will hold several meetings in various parts of the world over the next several months. Please check our website often for details on meetings and for more information on the Committee.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The At Large Membership Study Committee