Fwd: ICANN81 Stakeholders/Board sessions

[Johan Helsingius]

Any topics you think we should bring up in our meeting with the Board?

"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."

	Julf


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	ICANN81 Stakeholders/Board sessions
Date: 	Tue, 8 Oct 2024 06:15:40 +0000
From: 	Vinciane Koenigsfeld <vinciane.koenigsfeld at icann.org>
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///

DearNon/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 <mailto: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