Participation of ccTLDs in IANA Stewardship Transition Engagement Process and Call for Nominations for ccTLD Managers to Participate in the Stewardship Transition Coordination
Group - 26 June 2014
The ccNSO and the four regional ccTLD organisations (AFTLD, APTLD, CENTR & LACTLD) are writing jointly to invite the active participation of ccTLD managers in this very important process.
Summary
The US Government has announced its intention to transition the IANA-related functions to the global multistakeholder community. This action will have
a direct impact on all ccTLD managers, so they are encouraged to become involved in this transition planning process. ICANN is establishing a ‘Coordinating Committee’ as part of this process to develop an IANA stewardship transition proposal
based on stakeholder input. There will be 27 representatives on this group, including 4 ccTLD ‘operators’. The ccNSO has been asked to select these four individuals. The purpose of this message is to encourage all ccTLDs, whether
or not they are members of the ccNSO, to become engaged in this process and to seek nominations for these four places.
Background
On
14 March 2014 the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to transition stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global multistakeholder community.
The NTIA asked the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), as the IANA functions contractor and global coordinator for the Domain Name System (DNS), to convene a multistakeholder process to develop a proposal for the transition. NTIA
also said that the transition proposal produced through this process must have broad community support and address the following four principles:
• Support and enhance the multistakeholder model;
• Maintain
the security, stability, and resiliency of the Internet DNS;
• Meet the needs and expectation of the global customers and partners of the IANA services;
and,
• Maintain the openness of the Internet.
As part of that process, on June 8, 2014,
ICANN announced that it is creating a ‘Coordinating Group’ as part of the process to help develop an IANA stewardship transition proposal. The creation of this group was informed by comments received by ICANN on a previous proposal. ICANN
stated what it though the role of the Coordination Group would be: “it will be responsible for preparing a transition proposal respective of the differing needs of the various affected parties of the IANA functions. It should be responsible for assembling
the components from the respective communities into a single proposal meeting the criteria set out by NTIA”. However, ICANN went on to say that “this document does not prescribe the roles and responsibilities for the Coordination Group. The
Coordination Group may use the input at its discretion as it works toward defining its modes of operation and working methods.” We understand that work is underway among relevant stakeholder groups to draft and develop consensus around various aspects
of the transition. The full text of the ICANN announcement can be found at:
ccTLD Participation in the Overall Transition Planning
Process
IANA has responsibility for the day-to-day management
of the DNS so this transition process is of direct importance to all managers of TLDs, including ccTLDs. All ccTLD managers are therefore encouraged to make themselves aware of these proposed changes and to become actively engaged as planning and specific proposals
emerge. The ccNSO and the Regional ccTLD organizations, AFTLD, APTLD, LACTLD and CENTR all intend to participate actively on behalf of their members. ccTLDs that are not members of either the ccNSO or a regional organization are also encouraged to contact
the ccNSO and/or regional organizations in order to stay informed and make their input known. All ccTLDs are of course welcome to join either or both the ccNSO and their regional organization.
ccTLD Participation on the Coordinating Group
The ICANN announcement stated that the Coordination Group will be comprised of 27 individual members who will be selected through their respective communities and processes and that “care is urged to ensure diligent
observance to diversity standards and to guard against any conflict of interest.” Four of these 27 places on the Coordinating Group are reserved for ccTLD operators, both ccNSO members and non-ccNSO members, as selected by the ccNSO. This
is the text of the announcement: “Country Code Names Supporting Organisation (ccNSO and non-ccNSO Country Code Top-Level Domain [ccTLD] operators, as selected by the ccNSO)”.
ICANN also indicated that Coordination Group members will not be remunerated but that travel, meal and lodging costs for Coordination Group members to participate in Coordination Group meetings will be covered by ICANN, upon
request and in accordance with ICANN's community travel support guidelines.
Call for Nominations
The ccNSO in, conjunction with the Regional ccTLD Organizations, is seeking nominations from ccTLD managers who might wish
to be one of the four ccTLD representatives on the Coordinating Group, both ccNSO members and non-ccNSO members.
Candidates are expected to have:
• a thorough understanding of operating requirements of a ccTLD manager,
• a clear understanding of
the multistakeholder model,
• a willingness to devote considerable time and energy to this process, which is expected to last at least 15 months, and
to travel to face-to-face meetings, at ICANN’s expense, the first of which is to be held in London, UK on July 16-18;
• effective communication
skills in order to represent views of ccTLD community on the Coordination Group and to communicate back to the ccTLD community on activities from the Coordinating Group
• a
commitment to keep the ccNSO and broader ccTLD community abreast of the state of play in the Coordination Group.
Candidates for this role are requested to provide
the ccNSO (ccNSOsecretariat@icann.org) with the following by 2 July 2014, 23.59 UTC. • a recent curriculum
vitae summarizing background and experience, including that in ccTLD operations, and
• a statement of maximum 500 words of what the candidate
sees as being the main objectives that ccTLD operators should be seeking in an IANA transition proposal
• an indication of their affiliation, if any,with
any Internet governance or DNS industry related organization
• a letter signed by a member of your organization’s senior management confirming
its support for your participation in the process.
The
names of all candidates will be made public. Interviews of shortlisted candidates may be conducted.
A selection committee comprised of five members of the ccTLD community, including from the ccNSO Council and Regional Organizations, will review applications and submit the names of the four Coordinating Committee members
to the ccNSO Council at a meeting.
Paulos Nyirenda Chair of AFTLD
Choon Sai Lim
Chair of APTLD
Byron Holland
Chair of the ccNSO
Peter Vergote Chair of CENTR
Eduardo
Santoyo Chair of LACTLD
The ccNSO Council resolves to establish a 5 members Selection Committee to select the 4 members on the IANA Stewardship Transition Process Coordination
Committee. All members of the Selection Committee shall be from the ccTLD community. The Selection Committee will include at least two members of the ccNSO Council, including its chair, one member of a Board of a regional TLD organization and one non-ccNSO
member. Its task is to review the applications and select the 4 ccTLD members of the Coordination Committee to the ccNSO Council by 2 July or as soon as possible thereafter prior to an urgent special meeting of the ccNSO Council. In its review and selection,
the committee will take into account and be guided by the criteria for selection included in the call for nominations.