[Comment-drafters] Week 1: general information and first reading task
Dina Solveig Jalkanen
icann at thomascovenant.org
Mon Nov 20 05:16:44 CET 2017
Dear fellow constituents,
warmly welcome to the Comment Drafters group. This process will move on
with down-to-earth guidance by me and support from Rafik (NCSG Policy
Committee Chair), Renata (NCUC chair) and other experienced NCUC members.
1. Introduction
Why write a Public Comment? What is it? In short, it is a document
commenting on an ICANN issue, a published report, proposed action.
Quite often behind such a report is a working group that has put
a lot of time and effort into addressing a particular issue, and
is accepting feedback.
I think writing a comment is a good way to participate in policy
making process.
Are the comments actually useful? Mostly yes, example in message below.
This is not always the case. As I see it, having a track of proposed
change is a good start on some subjects.
Good news, everyone: you are not working on comments alone. NCUC
comments I have read are well-written, produced by friendly and
supportive collaboration plus NCUC readily gives advice.
Take note of:
"In order for the comment to be endorsed as the position
of the NCSG, there should first be consultation with NCSG members, and
it must be approved by the NCSG’s Policy Committee."
NCUC Onboarding Program
https://www.icann.org/public-comments
2. Objective
Our objective is to go through creating one Public Comment
hands-on, so that you can continue with future Comments independently
and according to your interest.
3. Actions
We shall read some previous comments, help with one particular comment
as a group, look a bit more into the issues behind the subject and
follow up on the process after.
week 1 general information
week 2 starting on the comment and background
week 3 writing, time-frame depends on the comment
week X request for review and advice
week Y submission
4. Week 1 task
- Take a look at Public Comments submitted this year,
read at least two of them, make sure you understand the topic to some
extent if it's new to you:
https://community.icann.org/display/gnsononcomstake/Public+Comments+-+2017
- What do you think about the comments you've read? Anything
you really liked, anything you would improve? There's no need to post a
response, but take note of your observations.
- Read NCUC Onboarding Program message below
This helps us to a good start. You are welcome to post questions and
comments by replying to this thread - and again, thank you for
contributing your time to work on this.
BR,
thomas
--
* * *
Friendly geek in Amsterdam, happy FSFE and EFF member
https://wiki.techinc.nl/index.php/User:Thomascovenant
Reading Week 1:
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: NCUC Onboarding Program | Overview 4 | What Policy is Set at
ICANN?
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2017 15:47:52 +0000
From: Maryam Bakoshi <maryam.bakoshi at icann.org>
To: onboarding at lists.ncuc.org <onboarding at lists.ncuc.org>
Dear NCUC Member,
* *
There are multiple kinds of policy within the ICANN ecosystem:
1. *Domain Name System (DNS) Policies* are developed through formal
policy development processes, as set forth by the ICANN Bylaws.
These policies become part of the contracts signed by Registries,
Registries and Registrants – part of the rules of the global Domain
Name System. Examples include the New gTLD Program
<http://gnso.icann.org/en/council/policy/new-gtlds>,
the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy
<https://www.icann.org/en/resources/registrars/transfers/policy>,
and the Expired Registration Recovery Policy
<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/errp-2013-02-28-en>, among
many others. Our work in this area often focuses on protecting
privacy, freedom of expression, human rights, fair use, and due
process. /This is what we are primarily involved with./
2. *Operational Policies* define how ICANN works as an organization.
These include an array of Cross-Community Working Groups associated
with enhancing ICANN’s accountability, transparency, and diversity.
In addition, operational policies include those matters not subject
to a formal policy development process, but where community input
has been sought via public comment or other means in shaping them.
Examples include a recent revision to the criteria
<https://www.icann.org/public-comments/fellowship-application-process-review-2016-06-14-en>
for
awarding an ICANN Fellowship, the language services policy for
determining which meetings receive translation, and the conflict of
interest policy for Board members.
3. *General Practices. *ICANN relies on established practices that
‘just exist’ and have not necessarily gone through a formalised
approval process. Examples include acceptable behaviour and conduct
from community members when asking questions to Board at a public
comment forum.
In our world, we are mostly involved in DNS policy. These are the
recommendations that are developed and refined by the ICANN community
through the various Supporting Organizations and influenced by the
Advisory Committees.
*How is Domain Name System Policy Developed within the GNSO?*
* *
DNS policy is developed in different ways across the Supporting
Organizations, but within the GNSO (where the NCUC sits), the process
usually flows as follows:
* *
- Firstly, the GNSO Council or ICANN’s Board will *identify the issue*.
It is up to the GNSO Council to determine whether or not the issue will
result in consensus policy.
* If yes, the GNSO Council will request a Preliminary Issue Report
to *scope the issue*.
* ICANN Staff will produce and publish the Preliminary Issue Report
for public comment. Following public comment, this feedback will be
reviewed and incorporated into a Final Issue Report.
* *
- The GNSO Council will consider the Final Issue Report and decide
whether or not to *initiate the formal Policy Development Process*.
* If yes, the GNSO Council will develop and adopt a charter for the
Policy Development Process working group.
* The GNSO Council will issue a call for volunteers to join the
working group.
* *
- *The working group is formed. *The working group participants will
meet regularly and consult with the community to develop their Initial
Report. This Initial Report will be opened for public comment.
* After reviews and once community consensus is reached, the working
group will submit its Final Report to the GNSO Council.
- The GNSO Council will* deliberate the Final Report*.
* If the recommendations are adopted, the GNSO Council will submit the
Final Report to the ICANN Board.
* *
- The ICANN Board will then consult with various Advisory Committees,
and will generally put the recommendations out for comment from the
wider Internet community. Taking into account the advice received,
the *ICANN Board will* *vote on the Final Report recommendations.*
They key thing to note, here, is that /policy development in the GNSO
takes place at the working group level – so that’s where you need to be
to get involved! /
*What are Policy Development Process Working Groups, and What is so
Exciting About them Despite their Boring Name? *
There are many ways in which you can become involved in ICANN’s
multistakeholder, bottom-up, consensus-driven model for policy development.
The most effective way in which you can voice your position about an
issue is to shape the dialogue and the deliberations of the policy
topic. You can do this by joining a Working Group created by the GNSO
Council.
These working groups are formally chartered within the ICANN structure
to address policies and other issues facing the Internet community and
the various stakeholders. They are composed of interested community
volunteers with various types of interests and expertise.
Most working groups have a membership which is geographically dispersed,
so the primary means of meeting is via teleconferences and online
resources two to four times per month. The phone calls use toll-free
audiobridge numbers to many countries, or the Secretariat can dial out
to you. Many use the Adobe Connect platform, which is free, to
participate in the meetings online.
If you are new to the community, it is generally /easiest to join a
working group as it is forming/, but you can also join a working group
that is already in progress. Doing so requires that you catch up with
the work, research, and discussion that the group has already covered.
You can do so by going through the recordings, briefing and transcripts
of the previous meetings. You can also reach out to an NCUC focal point
who can tell you more about how to get engaged.
* *
*Joining the Working Group: Procedures*
If you wish to join a working group, email the GNSO Secretariat
at gnso-secs at icann.org <mailto:gnso-secs at icann.org> to indicate your
interest in doing so. You must include your full name, time zone,
preferred email address for correspondence, and indicate whether you
wish to be a member or observer of the working group (you can change
this status at any time).
You will then be invited to complete a short 90-minute course with ICANN
staff to learn how to use the different online resources. In this
tutorial you will be introduced to ICANN Learn, an e-learning platform
with a growing number of tutorials on different community topics.
Shortly thereafter, you will be asked to complete a Statement of
Interest (SOI) form. In this document, you publicly disclose who you
work for and any other business relationships that might affect how you
influence the working group. You *cannot* be disqualified from the group
based on your SOI. It is posted so that others in the working group can
understand what factors may influence your viewpoint. You will also be
able to see the SOI of every other person in the working group.
*What are my Responsibilities if I Join a Working Group? *
Working groups address challenging and complex issues, and require a
high level of collaboration with people from all types of backgrounds
and different cultures. You will probably enjoy the work more if you
stick to areas of particular interest, and seek to participate actively
in only one or two working groups (at least at first).
No one can force you to take on more work than you choose to – we are a
community of volunteers – but for maximum impact, you will need to
participate in as many of the conference calls as possible. Attendance
on calls is taken by ICANN staff and is publicly posted. In addition to
attending meetings, you may be asked to assist in specific tasks such as:
* Developing and drafting working group documents,
* Contributing ideas and knowledge to working group discussions on the
mailing list,
* Acting as a liaison between the working group and the NCUC and NCSG,
* Ensuring that NCSG statements are developed in an informed and
timely way,
* Actively and constructively participating in the consensus decision
making process
You should be aware that working groups are normally expected to operate
under the principles of transparency and openness, which means that
mailing list conversations are publicly archived, meetings are normally
recorded and transcribed, and the public will be able to listen to or
read your contribution. This is how the public can hold the ICANN
community accountable for its work.
* *
*What Do I Get in Return?*
As a volunteer, you will gain greater insight into how domain name
policy is formed; a keen awareness of near-future developments that
affect millions of users worldwide; and will have the opportunity to
meet volunteers of similar interest from many different countries.
/“You also get to see how the multistakeholder process works in action
other than just reading about it. You will form a sense of collegiality
with others from our, and other, stakeholder groups. You can fight for
what you believe in, and be effective in making a change (however
minimal). You can fight for more transparency and accountability. You
can fight for freedom of expression in domain name policies. You can
build a network of people who are the top experts in their field. You
can become a leader or take an official position in the constituency and
feel rewarded by serving the members and the community.” /
/– Farzaneh Badii, Chair of the NCUC/
*I Don’t Have Time to Join a Working Group, How Can I Help?*
* *
Many in the community who are short on time voice their positions about
issues when a working group or operational matter has a call open for
public comment.
The Public Comments page <http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/> on
the ICANN website lists every issue that is currently open for input
from any Internet user around the world. It also has a calendar where
you can find a list of upcoming issues that will be available for
comment in the near future. Here you will find instructions on how to
submit comments and read other comments that other stakeholders have
already submitted.
The NCSG, on behalf of the members of the NCUC and NPOC, work hard to
prepare comments that faithfully represent our joint concerns and
recommendations. In order for the comment to be endorsed as the position
of the NCSG, there should first be consultation with NCSG members, and
it must be approved by the NCSG’s Policy Committee. Often there is
discussion on the NCSG list on the different issues, but if there is not
or there is a comment that you would like to help coordinate, please let
the Chair know.
Throughout ICANN’s history, policy recommendations have been modified in
order to incorporate the feedback received through public comments. As a
recent example, the /Applicant Guidebook/ that explains how to apply for
a new gTLD was posted multiple times and drew more than 1,000 comments
across six revisions, until the ICANN community reached consensus on it.
It is crucially important that we weigh in on issues great and small.
Please reach out to us with your questions, concerns, comments, and
feedback: onboarding at lists.ncuc.org <mailto:onboarding at lists.ncuc.org>.
Our mentors Ayden Férdeline, Louise Marie Hurel and Kathy
Kleiman* *check this inbox periodically and are on-hand to help you
assimilate into our community and into the various working groups.
Best wishes,
Kathy Kleiman, Ayden Férdeline, and Louise Marie Hurel
NCUC Onboarding Team
--
Many thanks,
*Maryam Bakoshi | *SO/AC Collaboration Services Sr. Coordinator
*ICANN*| Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
*S*: Maryam.bakoshi.icann | *T*: +44 7737698036
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