RE: [alac] At-Large Newsletter, FYI (Liaisons please share with Councils/Board) (this is also posted)

["Roberto Gaetano" <alac_liaison@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Done.

Roberto GAETANO
ALAC
ICANN BoD Liaison





> From: ICANN At-Large - Denise Michel <michel@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: "At-Large Advisory Committee (publicly archived)" <alac@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [alac] At-Large Newsletter, FYI (Liaisons please share with 
> Councils/Board) (this is also posted)
> Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:15:56 -0700
>
> ICANN AT-LARGE NEWSLETTER
> September 2005
>
> In this issue:
>
> â?¢    Action: Hi, é«?, Hola, é«?ã?? â?? Internationalized Domain Names 
> Creep Forward.  Your input is needed â?? and accepted in many languages.
> â?¢    Action: Ready for the future? Your thoughts are needed on what ICANN 
> should do to face opportunities and challenges the future will bring.
> â?¢    Action: Hey .NET domain name holders! What does the New .NET 
> agreement mean for you?
> â?¢    Action: Dot What? How should more top level domain names be 
> introduced?
> â?¢    Meeting: Join us in Vancouver!  ICANN At-Large invites you to join 
> the debates about the Internetâ??s future.
> â?¢    Information: Asia/Pacific user groups are forming a Regional 
> At-Large Organization
> _________________________________________________________
>
> â?¢    Action: Hi, é«?, Hola, é«?ã?? â?? Internationalized Domain Names 
> (IDNs) Creep Forward.  Your input is needed â?? and accepted in many 
> languages.
>
> Registries that are offering IDNs have drafted a new version of the â??IDN 
> Guidelines,â?? which ICANN has posted for public comments 
> <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-20sep05.htm>. These are 
> proposed â??rulesâ?? Registries would follow in implementing IDNs, and they 
> attempt to address such challenges as how to prevent the deceptive use of 
> visually confusable characters from different scripts in individual IDN 
> labels. For those not immersed in IDNs, the draft guidelines will be 
> challenging reading.  And if English is not your language, they will be 
> daunting.  They are worth the effort, however, because they are a critical 
> step towards enabling the global Internet community to be *truly* global.
>
> Before the ALAC addresses the substance of the proposed guidelines, we 
> asked ICANN to adjust the process of soliciting comments by posting the 
> proposed guidelines in multiple languages and extending the comment period. 
>  They are working on it â?? the proposed guidelines were just posted in 
> French 
> <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-20sep05-french.htm>.
>
> The ALAC believes that IDNs are not just a technical or business matter, 
> but rather a fundamental element of the respect for cultural diversity and 
> the internationalization of the Internet.  The ALAC has been promoting the 
> prompt introduction of full and non-discriminating support for all scripts 
> and languages in domain names, as well as in other elements of the Internet 
> that are directly used by the final consumers, in a manner that ensures an 
> orderly and wise deployment of IDN registrations.  The ALAC believes this 
> to be one of the most pressing issues for the global Internet community and 
> encourages all interested At-Large groups and individuals to provide input. 
>  Send emails to <forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> *and* <idn-guidelines@xxxxxxxxx>.  
> The ALAC can accept comments in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, 
> Italian, German, Japanese, and Chinese.
>
> â?¢    Action: Ready for the future? Your thoughts are needed on what ICANN 
> should do to face opportunities and challenges the future will bring.
>
> Dust off your crystal ball.  ICANN has asked for the At-Large communityâ??s 
> help in planning for the future. A â??Strategic Planning Issue Paperâ?? has 
> been posted in English, Spanish, and French for public comment (English at 
> <http://www.icann.org/strategic-plan/strategic-planning-issues-paper-04oct05.pdf>; 
> see <http://www.icann.org> for other languages), along with a request for 
> the communityâ??s views.  The paper summarizes strategic planning 
> discussions in which the ALAC and other stakeholders participated at 
> ICANN's July 2005 meeting in Luxembourg, and includes a list of ICANNâ??s 
> â??opportunities and challenges,â?? such as:
>
> â?¢ The continued rise of the Internet as a truly global means of 
> communication
> and the need for ICANN to meet the needs of a truly global stakeholder 
> base;
> â?¢ Maintaining stability given expected increases in scale driven by the 
> number
> of devices using the Internet and the number of users;
> â?¢ Possible fracturing of the current system perhaps brought about by some 
> users
> becoming dissatisfied with perceived restrictions imposed by technical 
> protocols or by actions of a government or governments.
>
> The ALAC has been asked to provide comments on this paper and would like 
> guidance from the At-Large community in doing so.  Community input will be 
> used to craft ICANNâ??s Strategic Plan and will drive discussions that are 
> being planned for ICANNâ??s November meeting in Vancouver 
> <http://www.icann.org/meetings/vancouver/>.
>
> Email your views to the At-Large public forum <forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> *and* 
> ICANNâ??s Strategic Plan public forum <stratplan-issues-paper@xxxxxxxxx>.
>
> â?¢    Action: Hey .NET domain name holders! What does the New .NET 
> agreement mean for you?
>
> On 12 October 2005 ICANNâ??s Board approved an amendment to the .NET 
> agreement, which finalizes VeriSignâ??s contract as the .NET Registry and 
> limits domain name registration fee increases to no more than 10% per year. 
>  The amendment addresses some complaints raised by the community after the 
> Board approved the agreement on 1 July 2005.
>
> Strong concern was voiced by several ICANN constituencies about the 
> approval process and the substance of the agreement approved three months 
> ago (see Luxembourg public forum transcript at 
> <http://www.icann.org/meetings/luxembourg/>).  Objections were raised about 
> not allowing for complete public review of the agreement before it was 
> approved, and about elements of the agreement such as the removal of all 
> price caps on .NET domain names and the ability to give volume discounts to 
> some Registrars.  ICANNâ??s Board and VeriSign subsequently agreed to 
> re-negotiate parts of the contract and a proposed amendment to the 
> agreement was posted for public comment 
> <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-22sep05.htm>.  The 
> proposed amendment, which was negotiated with representatives of 
> ICANN-Accredited Registrars, includes, among other things, a limit on 
> registration fee increases to no more than 10% per year, but still enables 
> VeriSign to offer Registrars volume discounts and incentives.
>
> Public comment on the proposed amendment was sparse, but worth considering 
> (see <http://forum.icann.org/lists/net-amendment-comments/>) since they 
> raise fundamental issues about the appropriate role of ICANN in setting 
> price controls, fostering marketplace competition and protecting consumers. 
>  Share your views about these and other .NET issues by sending an email to 
> <forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
>
> â?¢    Dot What? How should more top level domain names be introduced?
>
> The GNSO Council, a primary policy-making body within ICANN, has launched a 
> new policy development process to guide ICANN on what to do next on top 
> level domain (TLD) introductions.  ICANN wants to take the lessons learned 
> from past TLD introductions, along with community input, and develop a new 
> process for introducing TLDs. The ALAC is developing detailed guidance for 
> ICANN to help ensure that such a process meets individual Internet usersâ?? 
> needs.  The type of issues on which ICANN is seeking advice is posted at 
> <http://www.icann.org/tlds/new-gTLD-questions.pdf>.  The ALAC will post 
> proposed input on its website <http://www.alac.icann.org/>.  Please post 
> your views to <forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
>
> The ALAC has pushed ICANN to regularize the process of examining and 
> approving new TLD proposals, and has urged ICANN to move beyond testbeds 
> and evaluations and permit those proposing new TLDs to put their plans into 
> effect.  Last year ICANN launched a limited process for selecting new 
> sponsored TLDs (sTLDs) from a pool of ten applications 
> <http://www.icann.org/tlds/stld-apps-19mar04/stld-public-comments.htm>.  
> The ALAC recommended that, rather than restrict the applicant pool to a few 
> sTLDs, ICANN create a quick, effective and uncontroversial process for the 
> creation of any kind and number of new TLDs.
>
> The ALAC would like specific input from you on questions posted by ICANN 
> (see initial questions at 
> <http://www.icann.org/tlds/new-gTLD-questions.pdf>).
>
> â?¢    Meeting: Join us in Vancouver!  ICANN At-Large invites you to join 
> the debates about the Internetâ??s future.
>
> You are invited to join the ICANN community in Vancouver, Canada 30 
> November â?? 4 December, and participate in several meetings and fora on 
> issues that affect the Internet's end-users.  If you are interested in 
> seeing more new top level domain names, using domain names in your own 
> (non-English) language, protecting your personal information listed in 
> WHOIS databases, and advancing individual usersâ?? Internet interests in 
> other areas, you wonâ??t want to miss this meeting.  You can attend in 
> person or follow some proceedings via the Internet.  Participation is free 
> and Internet users are encouraged to come!! Check 
> <http://www.icann.org/meetings/vancouver/> for general information and 
> <http://www.alac.icann.org/> for details on At-Large-related events.
>
> â?¢    Information: Asia/Pacific user groups are forming a Regional 
> At-Large Organization
>
> All individuals involved in Internet user issues in the 
> Asia/Australia/Pacific (AP) region, are invited to participate in efforts 
> to launch an Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO).  
> Representatives of user groups involved in ICANN At-Large met last month 
> during the APAN meeting in Taiwan to develop a charter, bylaws, and 
> outreach plans aimed at enabling user groups in this region to work 
> together to advance Internet usersâ?? needs.  Follow-up meetings/conference 
> calls are being planned for November/December in Vancouver.  More 
> information is posted at <http://www.apralo.org/>. Send questions to 
> <info@xxxxxxxxxx>.
>
>
> The Interim At-Large Advisory Committee
> alac@xxxxxxxxx
> www.alac.icann.org
>
> If a group you are involved with wants to influence decisions that shape 
> the Internet, register as an "At-Large Structure" and participate in ICANN 
> decisions critical to the Internet's end users. â??At-Large Structureâ?? 
> registration is free, easy, and done via email. Groups interested 
> participating in ICANN At-Large are encouraged to send an email to 
> <als@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> or get more information and an application online 
> <http://www.alac.icann.org/applications/>.

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