[gnso-whois-wg] WHOIS WG - A message from the chairman

["Philip Sheppard" <philip.sheppard@xxxxxx>]

Dear WHOIS working group members,
Further to yesterday's (April 25) telephone conference may I thank you firstly 
for the
confidence you have showed in elevating me from interim chair to chair of the 
working group
(WG).
I hope to serve as a facilitator and moderator. (The views of the GNSO Business 
Constituency
will be advocated by others on the group).
 
I am delighted also that Jon Bing, a nominating committee appointee to the GNSO 
Council,
will serve as vice chairman.
Jon brings a wealth of legal expertise and Nordic good sense.
 
A vision
As a group we have the challenge to bring about change that will simultaneously:
- enhance privacy
- enhance the ability to prevent bad faith
- enhance simplicity
- be cost effective.
 
If we fail, the status quo of the WHOIS service will be the result.
  
Conduct on telephone conferences and mail lists
As we are a large group telephone conferences will need to be sharp, focused 
and practical.
Both our conferences and our group mail list should be reserved for policy 
discussion not
procedure or administration.
If you do have any questions on procedure or administration please try to 
resolve them in
the first instance  via direct e-mail with ICANN staff - Maria Farrell 
(procedure) or Glen
de St Gery(administration) 
 <mailto:maria.farrell@xxxxxxxxx> maria.farrell@xxxxxxxxx
 <mailto:gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Next steps
Allow me to explain our plan of action going forward.
 
a) A background document will be issued shortly to help all group participants 
have access
to relevant history and other references.
The document, prepared by staff, is intended to be factual, not a discussion 
paper !
 
b) The charter for this group lays out three work items in section 4.
We have established three sub-groups to work over the next three weeks on each 
of these work
items.
The sub groups are open to all and will meet on Wednesdays sequentially. The 
exact time
slots will be advised by ICANN staff.
We are a large group (60 plus and growing) so the time windows proposed by 
staff will be the
best for the groups bearing in mind the diversity of time zones.
Please be understanding if for you this means a less than friendly time of day.
You may join each sub-group or select the one of most interest.
 
Role of the subgroups
Each sub-group is being chaired by a volunteer chairman
Sub-group a - responsibilities -  Steve Metalitz
Sub-group b - access - Milton Mueller
Sub-group c - nature of the registrant - Jon Bing.
 
My thanks to these volunteers. Their objective will be to list but not evaluate 
practical
options for each work item.
We will then take those options forward, consider them holistically, and 
evaluate the
options starting, I hope, May 23, as the full working group.
Staff will now advise the meeting times for the sub groups shortly.
 
 
Many thanks
Philip Sheppard
Chair WHOIS WG