ALSC Final Report on ALSC Final Report on ICANN At-Large ICANN At-Large

MembershipMembership

November 2001 November 2001 Marina del Rey, CAMarina del Rey, CA

www.atlargestudy.orgwww.atlargestudy.org

ALSC Final Report ALSC Final Report

• Presented to ICANN’s Board as per Presented to ICANN’s Board as per charter.charter.

• ..to find "an effective means by which ..to find "an effective means by which the diverse global Internet the diverse global Internet communities and stakeholders may communities and stakeholders may participate in ICANN's policy participate in ICANN's policy development, deliberations, and development, deliberations, and actions.”actions.”

Found support for 5 Found support for 5 principles principles 1) Individual users have significant stake & should 1) Individual users have significant stake & should

have opportunity to fully participate in ICANN;have opportunity to fully participate in ICANN;

2) Representation should accompany informed, 2) Representation should accompany informed, sustained participation;sustained participation;

3) At-Large electorate should comprise an identifiable 3) At-Large electorate should comprise an identifiable & vested community of individual users;& vested community of individual users;

4) At-Large members should have shared role in4) At-Large members should have shared role in selecting members of ICANN's Board;selecting members of ICANN's Board;

5) It’s time to move beyond discussion, determine 5) It’s time to move beyond discussion, determine degree of real interest in creating organization for degree of real interest in creating organization for sustained At-Large involvement in ICANN. sustained At-Large involvement in ICANN.

Final recommendations - Final recommendations - ALSOALSO

• Create “ALSO Organizing Committee”Create “ALSO Organizing Committee” to help to help establish new, self-supporting At-Large establish new, self-supporting At-Large Supporting Organization (ALSO), etc. Supporting Organization (ALSO), etc.

• Create an ALSO with “participants” -- anyone Create an ALSO with “participants” -- anyone interested -- and “members” -- verifiable, interested -- and “members” -- verifiable, vested community of users to elect leadership.vested community of users to elect leadership.

• ALSO will promote informed participation of ALSO will promote informed participation of any interested individualany interested individual, foster At-Large , foster At-Large involvement in decision-making, with specific involvement in decision-making, with specific responsibility for providing an “individual user” responsibility for providing an “individual user” perspective on relevant ICANN mission issues.perspective on relevant ICANN mission issues.

Final recommendations - Final recommendations - AL memberAL member

• Initially define member (ALSO Initially define member (ALSO electorate) as individual domain electorate) as individual domain name holder.name holder.

• Continue search for additional Continue search for additional mechanism for verifiable, opt-in mechanism for verifiable, opt-in membership (without domain name membership (without domain name requirement).requirement).

Final recommendations - Final recommendations - AL election AL election

• Hold geographically based ALSO Hold geographically based ALSO member elections for member elections for Regional/Global At-Large Council Regional/Global At-Large Council Members, 6 At-Large Directors.Members, 6 At-Large Directors.

• Includes recommendation of splitting Includes recommendation of splitting Asia/Pacific region, but this should Asia/Pacific region, but this should not delay election. not delay election.

Final recommendations - Final recommendations - AL framework AL framework

• Build self-sustaining, transparent ALSO to Build self-sustaining, transparent ALSO to serve as local/regional-based framework for:serve as local/regional-based framework for:– collecting, defining views,collecting, defining views,

– engaging members, engaging members,

– enabling consensus decision-making, enabling consensus decision-making,

– working closely with other SOs on policy working closely with other SOs on policy development.development.

• Require supermajority to make future Require supermajority to make future substantive changes in governance substantive changes in governance structure.structure.

Potential for consensus Potential for consensus

• Recommendations are practical, Recommendations are practical, executable, effective, most likely to gain executable, effective, most likely to gain consensus support.consensus support.

• Reasonable compromise between 9 At-Reasonable compromise between 9 At-Large Board seats/e-mail-based, ICANN-Large Board seats/e-mail-based, ICANN-funded global direct elections -- and no funded global direct elections -- and no direct global elections, fewer, if any, At-direct global elections, fewer, if any, At-Large Board seats. Large Board seats.

Based on consideration, Based on consideration, outreach outreach • Since March, ALSC explored alternatives, Since March, ALSC explored alternatives,

listened to opinions, tried to stimulate listened to opinions, tried to stimulate debate in wider Internet community.debate in wider Internet community.

• Found great value in involvement of At-Found great value in involvement of At-Large for strong focus on users’ interests. Large for strong focus on users’ interests.

• Failed to find fail-safe system for Failed to find fail-safe system for Directors’ selection; email Directors’ selection; email administratively, financially unworkable, administratively, financially unworkable, open to fraud, capture.open to fraud, capture.

Moving Forward Moving Forward • Recommend Board resolution to affirm Recommend Board resolution to affirm

individual user participation, acknowledge individual user participation, acknowledge basic principles to guide At-Large action:basic principles to guide At-Large action:– Create framework for participation (ALSO)Create framework for participation (ALSO)

– Focus membership on identifiable, vested Focus membership on identifiable, vested community community

– Provide proportionate role for At-Large Provide proportionate role for At-Large members in selecting Boardmembers in selecting Board

– Ask ICANN CEO to solicit expressions of Ask ICANN CEO to solicit expressions of interest in creating local/regional ALSO entitiesinterest in creating local/regional ALSO entities

– Extend ALSC through March to answer Extend ALSC through March to answer questions, work on details questions, work on details