[NCUC-DISCUSS] Fwd: ICANN81 Stakeholders/Board sessions

[Benjamin Akinmoyeje]

Dear NCUC members,
I am sharing the details I received about the forthcoming session about the
new gTLD Program and RDRS Community Feedback sessions planned by the ICANN
Board. There is an opportunity to come up with a list of questions in
relation to these topics. Read the details below:

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Vinciane Koenigsfeld <vinciane.koenigsfeld at icann.org>
Date: Tue, Oct 8, 2024 at 8:15 AM
Subject: ICANN81 Stakeholders/Board sessions
To: julf at julf.com <julf at julf.com>, benakin at gmail.com <benakin at gmail.com>,
jumaropi at yahoo.com <jumaropi at yahoo.com>, mcknight.glenn at gmail.com <
mcknight.glenn at gmail.com>
Cc: Carlos Reyes <carlos.reyes at icann.org>, Michelle Bright <
michelle.bright at icann.org>, Board Ops Team <board-ops-team at icann.org>, Mary
Wong <mary.wong at icann.org>


*Sent on behalf of Tripti Sinha, Chair, ICANN Board of Directors*

Dear Non*c**ommercial Stakeholder Group* Leaders,



Our Annual General Meeting (9-14 November) is approaching quickly, and the
Board and I are looking forward to meeting with all of you in Istanbul.



It will be our final meeting of 2024, a year marked by both challenges and
progress. Notably, we celebrated the selection of our new CEO,
Kurtis Lindqvist, who will soon officially take on the role.



As we finalize our new five-year Strategic Plan and continue collaborating
on key projects critical to ICANN’s future—including the launch of the Next
Round of new gTLDs— we remain committed to strengthening our partnership.
In keeping with our practice before ICANN79, the Board plans to hold an
open engagement session during Prep Week of ICANN81, allowing interested
community members to engage directly with the Board on specific topics. *This
session will be held on 28 October at 15:00 UTC.*



The 60-minute session will feature two breakout rooms, each hosted by
different Board members and focused on distinct topics. After a brief
welcome plenary, participants will be invited to join one of the two
breakout rooms for a 45-minute discussion with the Board hosts. Attendees
will have the flexibility to move between the breakout rooms. The session
will conclude with a summary from each Board host on the discussions held
in their respective breakout rooms.



*Topic 1: Future of the new gTLD Program: Applications in rounds or
continuously accepting applications (first come, first serve)?*

   - Led by Becky Burr and Alan Barrett
   - Format of the engagement: discussion and soliciting input
   - Description: To date, the new gTLD Program has operated in rounds,
   allowing applicants to submit their applications within specific time
   windows. The last round took place in 2012, and the next one is expected to
   open in 2026. Due to concerns raised by the Board, the GNSO Council has
   expressed interest
   <https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2023/correspondence/ducos-to-icann-board-et-al-05sep23-en.pdf>
in
   collaborating with the ICANN Board on the long-term evolution of the
   program, potentially moving away from the current round-based approach.
   Several issues have been identified with the round-based approach,
   including:

1.    Dealing with contention sets, which have proven to be one of the most
complex and litigious part of the program.

2.    The costs and challenges of repeatedly switching the program on and
off.

3.    The sense of scarcity and rush to apply created by limited
application windows.

This session will explore what a future New gTLD Program might look like if
applications were submitted continuously, similar to ICANN’s approach for
other programs like registrar accreditation. Key questions to consider
include:

·         What advantages, if any, are there to maintaining the round-based
system?

·         What challenges would arise from a continuously open New gTLD
Program?

·         Are there alternative models that could address the identified
issues?

·         Given current priorities, what is a realistic timeline for
developing policies on this issue that would allow a different

                                                     approach?



*Topic 2: RDRS Community Feedback*

   - Led by Maarten Botterman and Wes Hardaker
   - Format of the engagement: discussion and soliciting input
   - Description: The Board seeks to understand the community’s perception
   of RDRS after nearly a year of operations, particularly whether the
   community agrees that the service could be a suitable permanent solution
   for access to registration data. This feedback will help guide the Board’s
   next steps in discussions with the GNSO Council regarding the future of
   the EPDP Phase 2 policy recommendations for a System for a
   Standardized/Access Disclosure



The Board looks forward to this engagement opportunity and encourages your
active participation.



Please note that ICANN Staff will support this engagement session and take
notes. However, there will be technical limitations in the breakout rooms,
including the absence of interpretation and transcription services.



As always, we will listen to your specific needs during our bilateral
sessions. In keeping with our established practice, we will also ask a
question to your Group ahead of our joint session in Istanbul.





*- The Board has been continuing work on a Global Public Interest Framework
in relation to ICANN policy making, and has recently finalised a draft GPI
Framework Checklist. The Board is eager to hear feedback from the Council
on this checklist, including whether the Council feels this will be a
useful policy development tool and any thoughts on how it could be further
developed. *

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this soon.



We kindly request that you send any questions you would like the Board to
address during our face-to-face meetings to Board Operations (
board-ops-team at icann.org). Given the limited time for these meetings,
please prioritize your questions in order of importance. We would
appreciate receiving your questions no later than *Wednesday 30 October
2024.*



Looking forward to our discussions during Prep Week and ICANN81!



Best regards,

Tripti Sinha

Chair, ICANN Board of Directors
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ncuc.org/pipermail/ncuc-discuss/attachments/20241014/c8dc2d0b/attachment.htm>