ICANN is NOT a new gTLDs Marketing Agency: ICANN 53 Review, Part 3

Akram Atallah, President of  ICANN's Global Domains Division, on the "hot seat" at ICANN 53

It had to happen at some point, a mature realization that the hype and mania which formed and launched ICANN's new gTLDs program was misplaced. Signs of this epiphany were very much present at ICANN 53, which just concluded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From stakeholders to ICANN Board Members, the judgment is emerging that the new gTLDs were a product of bad policy making, both in substance and process, as well as "horrible implementation" and the disappointing sales are self-evident proof that the policy and program were not grounded in market reality, and as a result, examples of lack of consumer demand abound. In addition, problems with new gTLD domain names "failing to work as expected on the Internet" (i.e., Universal Acceptance issues), as well as questions about new gTLDs having a negative impact on Internet root stability, are now being taken seriously.

ICANN staff, particularly Akram Atallah (see photo above) and his GDD staff, received a jolt when their underhanded attempt to apply new gTLDs URS policy against domain name registrants of legacy gTLD .TRAVEL (and by implication, all legacy gTLDs: .COM, .NET, .ORG, etc.) received an overwhelming negative response in comments posted, as well as at ICANN 53, including Philip Corwin, of the Internet Commerce Association, raising the issue throughout the meeting from Sunday through Thursday's last day public forum. "Desire for uniformity of the Registry Agreement" is a poor excuse for ICANN staff attempting to bypass stakeholder policy-making processes, and make "uniform" that which was specifically made not to be uniform, not to mention the variations and lack of uniformity within all the new gTLD registry agreements. In addition, it is hardly "voluntary" when ICANN staff prepare and present a Registry Agreement with the URS included, to a renewing legacy gTLD registry operator. Note to ICANN and Akram Atallah--start being honest for once, and stop making excuses--take the URS out of legacy gTLD registry agreements until it has been approved through a stakeholder PDP. The "affected parties" are primarily domain name registrants, and ICANN staff has no clue about domain name registrants since there is no domain name registrants stakeholder group within ICANN. ICANN officers and staff tend to forget that new gTLDs are an "experiment" and total less than 2% of all domain names registered globally. Domain Mondo hopes they "got the message."

Here are excerpts from ICANN 53 relating to new gTLDs and the above:

Krisitna Rosette (Amazon): "FWIW, Chris Disspain [ICANN Board Member] told ALAC this morning that the new gTLD round should not have gone forward when it did because the policies weren't done.  So, at least one Board member thinks that more policy work needs to be done." 

Slide from Universal Acceptance issues presentation at RySG ICANN 53 meeting

Slide above: Universal Acceptance--domain names "failing to work as expected on the internet"--is a problem for all new gTLDs (new generic top-level domains) and any TLD of more than 4 characters (note: there are no legacy gTLDs (e.g., .COM, .NET, .ORG, etc.) of more than 4 characters.) The last line is the kicker: "It's an issue if registrants can't effectively use their names."

From the Universal Acceptance topic at the Generic Registry Stakeholders Group session at ICANN 53:

“We don’t want the message going out into the market that new gTLDs don’t work but there is a problem that needs to be fixed.”

Even at the ICANN public forum on the last day (Thursday) of ICANN 53, the Universal Acceptance "defects" problems of new gTLD domain names were publicly acknowledged. After a new gTLDs lobbyist (a/k/a stakeholder) spoke and urged ICANN to undertake a multi-million dollar promotional campaign for new gTLDs (and new gTLD registry operators), ICANN Board member Mike Silber delivered the coup de grâce:

ICANN is NOT a marketing agency for new gTLD domains says ICANN Board Member Mike Silber at #ICANN53 Public Forum #newgtlds #domains

— Domain Mondo (@DomainMondo) June 25, 2015

In summary:
New gTLDs registry operators should not count on getting "marketing support" from ICANN, the DNS coordinator, and the net auction funds are going to be the subject of a lengthy community process. Some in the ICANN community definitely do not want any of the funds to be used to benefit the new gTLDs registry operators or applicants. In their view, new gTLD Registry operators and applicants knew, or should have known, the risks they were taking on, and that ICANN was never a guarantor of success nor a joint venture "partner."

ICANN is now in the process of selecting a contractor to study the impact of new gTLDs upon the stability of the root and issue a final report in 2017, which will require further steps thereafter by the ICANN staff and community. Therefore, the next round opening for new gTLDs applications, based on what was said at ICANN 53: 2018-19 best case scenario. Of course, by that time, one or more of the new gTLD registry operators will have filed bankruptcy or gone "out of business," probably bad-mouthing ICANN all the way out the door, similar to what Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of new gTLDs registry operator Minds + Machines (MMX), Fred Krueger, did after he recently left MMX and promptly sold 14,000,000 of his MMX shares, posting on Facebook: "One of the advantages of leaving MMX is that I am finally done with ICANN — which is one of the single worst organizations I have come across on this planet..."

We feel your pain Fred, but if you feel that way, why did you invest so much of your time and money in ICANN's new gTLDs program? You should have done your due diligence before you made your investment. By 2018, it's going to be the same old story, more Fred Krueger type rants, over and over again. Akram, better get used to all the rants bad-mouthing ICANN from failing new gTLD registry operators!

Note: this is the third and final part of the 3-part series ICANN 53 Review. Links to the ICANN budget for FY16 (fiscal year July, 2015-June, 2016) and other ICANN 53 related links will be posted this week on Domain Mondo's Links and ICANN pages. The previous two posts in this series can be read here:

• ICANN 53 Review, Part One: IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability
• FBI and FTC Join ICANN, GAC, PSWG: ICANN 53 Review, Part Two

See also on Domain Mondo:

• New gTLD Domain Names, Defects, ICANN Liability, FTC Complaints
• New gTLD Domains, the Walking Dead and Dying, ICANN FY15 Results
• Is It ICANN's Job To Market New gTLD Domain Names?

Caveat Emptor!


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FBI and FTC Join ICANN, GAC, PSWG: ICANN 53 Review, Part Two

ICANN 53 RySG meeting with FBI (middle) and FTC (left) reps;
Far right: Keith Drazek, Verisign, Chairman of the RySG

This is the second in a series on ICANN 53 which just concluded its meeting in Buenos Aires. Find Part One here: IANA Transition and ICANN Accountability. UPDATE: Part 3: ICANN is NOT a new gTLDs Marketing Agency.

It became clear to Domain Mondo during the course of ICANN 53, that the US government is already participating in ICANN meetings as if the IANA stewardship transition is finished--which is a good thing--representatives of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FBI attended ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires and met with the RySG (Registry Stakeholders Group -Registry Operators of all gTLDs) and the Registrar Stakeholder Group and others. They explained their involvement in the newly created Public Safety Working Group (PSWG), a sub-group under the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), to engage and interact with the ICANN community, how they will be participating in ICANN in the future, and "potential areas of interest" as of June 2015 (see below):

Above: slides from GAC-PSWG presentation by representatives of the FTC and FBI at ICANN 53

Note the "potential areas of interest"--

• WHOIS
• Contract Compliance
• Implementation of new gTLDs
• Internationalized Domain Names

Domain Mondo has a list of several more "potential areas of interest" to suggest to the FBI, FTC, and PSWG, including the serious problem of domain name theft. Now all domain name registrants, globally, have a resource for dealing with registrant issues involving registrars, registry operators, ICANN and others. As Domain Mondo noted some time ago: For Domain Name Registrants, ICANN Is Useless. So Domain Mondo says to the FTC, FBI, and PSWG: Welcome, glad you now have a seat at the ICANN table!

For legitimate domain name registrants, this is all very good news. Domain name registrants have had little, if any, representation within ICANN (e.g., there is no Registrant Stakeholder Group). For others, both within and without ICANN, this may not be good news. For example: who receives the "proceeds" from domain name registrations used by cyber criminals, cybersquatters, child pornographers, and other bad actors? Answer: Registries, Registrars, and ICANN itself. Notable Quote: "ICANN has a conflict of interest in pursuing the global public interest since its own financial interests are at odds with keeping costs down for Internet users and businesses." 

What "costs" are we talking about? Not only the costs of domain name registrations, but the increased friction costs of doing business online which actually strangles "innovation," and other "costs" caused by ICANN programs and policies--having to engage in "defensive domain registrations" (e.g., brand gTLDs, new gTLDs, etc.), trademark registration defense costs--as well as the "costs" to society due to online drug-trafficking, child pornography, etc. ICANN has admitted it is incompetent to deal with illegal activity. Heck, it is even debatable whether, after 16 years, ICANN is even capable of running the DNS competently, which is supposed to be its core competency.

"We can enforce the terms and conditions of our contracts with registries [and registrars], but it is the responsibility of governmental regulatory agencies, law enforcement and the courts to police illegal activity."--Allen Grogan, Chief Contract Compliance Officer, ICANN (emphasis added)

Put another way, in the U.S., if you are a landlord and knowingly allow tenants or others to use your property to engage in unlawful, criminal activity such as illegal drug-trafficking, you can lose your property to government seizure (forfeiture). For years, the Internet was known as a lawless Wild West--it was only a matter of time before the Sheriff showed up.

ICANN's primary jurisdiction pre- and post-transition is the United States, and the presence of the PSWG, FTC, and FBI, "at the ICANN table" has the potential of having a profound effect upon both ICANN processes and outcomes, which will benefit domain name registrants who have never had an equal voice within ICANN, as compared to the special vested-interest stakeholders (e.g., new gTLDs lobbyists). Domain Name Registrants worldwide can now contact the FTC or FBI directly with any complaint that involves US-based ICANN, its directors, officers, staff, or contractors, incuding registry operators and registrars. This is the kind of ICANN accountability which the CCWG-Accountability work, though commendable, is completely missing.

For those outside the US and not familiar with the FTC or FBI, here is a brief description of each:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): domain name - ftc.gov
The FTC is a bipartisan federal agency with a unique dual mission to protect consumers and promote competition. The FTC protects consumers by stopping unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. "We conduct investigations, sue companies and people that violate the law, develop rules to ensure a vibrant marketplace, and educate consumers and businesses about their rights and responsibilities. We collect complaints about hundreds of issues from data security and deceptive advertising to identity theft and Do Not Call violations, and make them available to law enforcement agencies worldwide for follow-up. Our experienced and motivated staff uses 21st century tools to anticipate – and respond to – changes in the marketplace." Promoting Competition: "Competition in America is about price, selection, and service. It benefits consumers by keeping prices low and the quality and choice of goods and services high. By enforcing antitrust laws, the FTC helps ensure that our markets are open and free. The FTC will challenge anticompetitive mergers and business practices that could harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, fewer choices, or reduced rates of innovation. We monitor business practices, review potential mergers, and challenge them when appropriate to ensure that the market works according to consumer preferences, not illegal practices." (source: FTC)

Note comments of FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez in her letter to ICANN in the dotSUCKS case:

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): domain name - fbi.gov
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States, which simultaneously serves as the nation's prime Federal law enforcement organization. Operating under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes. (source: Wikipedia)
Internationally, the FBI is probably most recently known for its involvement in the 2015 FIFA corruption case: "Near the end of May 2015, fourteen people were indicted in connection with an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) into wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering." (source: Wikipedia)

Also note the position of the US Department of Justice in the Silk Road case:

"... Ulbricht claims to be, in essence, untouchable. He was merely the “operator of a website,” he asserts, and cannot be held responsible for the conduct of its users. He himself was not directly involved in buying or selling drugs or malicious software, he argues, and therefore he cannot be charged under the narcotics and computer hacking laws. Further, Ulbricht contends, the money laundering laws have not kept pace with the times and do not cover transactions with Bitcoins, the exclusive form of payment on Silk Road, so he cannot be charged with money laundering either. He moves to dismiss the Indictment against him in its entirety. The arm of the law, however, is far longer than Ulbricht imagines it to be. In particular, Ulbricht misunderstands the law of conspiracy, which extends to anyone who enters into a joint venture with others to commit crime – regardless of whether their role in the crime is large or small, direct or indirect. The conspiracy laws easily apply to Ulbricht, who played a central, organizing role in running Silk Road and in facilitating the countless illicit sales executed through the site. And it hardly matters that Ulbricht’s conduct took place on the Internet. The federal criminal laws are expansive and adaptable, and readily reach his conduct online to the same extent as if it occurred on the street ..." (source: United States of America v. Ross Ulbricht, a/k/a “Dread Pirate Roberts,” a/k/a “DPR,” a/k/a “Silk Road)(emphasis added)

For related posts on Domain Mondo:

• Domain Name Registrar Network Solutions Settles FTC Charges
• New gTLD Domain Names, Defects, ICANN Liability, FTC Complaints
• Dot SUCKS: FTC Lectures ICANN On How To Protect Consumers
• The dot SUCKS Conundrum: ICANN, FTC, OCA, New gTLD Domains
• ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade's View of the IANA Transition is Shortsighted and Naive

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ICANN Public Forum at ICANN53, Buenos Aires

Online Video, Audio, and Remote Participation Link: ICANN Public Forum | ICANN53 | Buenos Aires starts at 2 pm (14:00) in Buenos Aires -- 1:00 pm EDT (US), Thursday, June 25, 2015

Livestream link: http://livestream.com/icannmeeting/events/4131013

ICANN Public Forum | ICANN53 | Buenos Aires: "The public forum is the Community's opportunity to make comments and ask questions on the main topics at each meeting directly to the Board and in front of the rest of the community. For transparency, a scribe feed is provided both in the room and via remote participation in real-time to allow all comments and questions raised during the session to be viewed by everyone. Remote participants have the opportunity to raise questions and/or comments can occur via email.

Those interested in asking a question may do so by addressing the question to engagement@icann.org

Time Restrictions:
Each speaker will get two chances to address the specific issue as it is discussed.
2-Minutes to make initial remarks.
2-Minutes minutes later in the queue for any possible follow-up remarks.
Time restrictions will be strictly adhered to.
In an effort to facilitate as many questions as possible, Board responses are limited to the same time restrictions as the community, specifically 2-minutes.
Board responses to follow-up questions will also be limited to 2-minutes.

Who Should Attend? All members of the ICANN Community.

Agenda Details:
Welcome & Explanation of rules of the Public Forum
Time – 15-minutes (14:00-14:15)
Presenter: Steve Crocker
Welcome Comments
Brad White explains participation rules
Subject: New gTLD Program
Time – 1 Hour (14:15-15:15)
Board Facilitator – Cherine Chalaby
Subject: IANA Stewardship Transition / Enhancing ICANN Accountability
Time – 55 Minutes (15:15-16:10)
Board Facilitator – Suzanne Woolf
Recognition video
Time – 5 Minutes (16:10-16:15)
Introduction – Steve Crocker
Break
Time – 10 minutes (16:15-16:25)
Presentation about ICANN54 Dublin
Time – 10-minutes (16:25-16:35)
Any subjects of community interest
Time – 55-Minutes (16:35-17:30)
Board Facilitator – Gonzal Navarro




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ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Wednesday Schedule, Session Links (video)

Mathieu Weill, Co-Chair of the CCWG-Accountability reports on the chairs' briefings to various stakeholder groups June 23, 2015, at ICANN53 in Buenos Aires.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Twitter Feeds

Current Date and Time in Buenos Aires

Wednesday at ICANN 53: The full daily schedule is shown below. For online or remote participation for each session on Wednesday, follow the session links shown:

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

06:45 to 08:45 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Libertador C
08:00 to 09:00 ART At-Large APRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
08:00 to 09:00 ART GNSO-ccNSO CWG for a Framework of CWG Principles Retiro B
08:00 to 09:00 ART RySG - DNA Registry-Registrar Operations Working Group Auditorio
08:00 to 09:30 ART GNSO Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information PDP WG RetiroA
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Wednesday 24 June San Telmo
09:00 to 10:00 ART At-Large Capacity Building Working Group Golden Horn
09:00 to 10:00 ART Whois Accuracy Specification Review Discussion [C] Retiro C
09:00 to 10:15 ART Contractual Compliance Program Updates and Q&A Session Libertador C
09:00 to 10:15 ART ICANN Operations Update Aguila
09:00 to 10:15 ART LAC SSR Session - Securing Internet Critical Infrastructure Libertador AB
09:00 to 15:15 ART DNSSEC Workshop Catalinas
09:00 to 15:30 ART ccNSO Members Meeting Day 2 La Pampa
09:30 to 10:30 ART RySG-Marketing a New Domain Name Registry-Sharing Insights Auditorio
09:30 to 11:00 ART NCSG - ICANNs Corp. and Soc. Resp. to Respect Human Rights Retiro B
09:45 to 10:45 ART Joint Meeting of the Board Governance Cmte. and NomCom [C] Martin Fierro
10:00 to 11:30 ART GNSO IGO-INGO Access to Curative Rights Protection PDP WG Retiro C
10:30 to 11:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
10:30 to 11:45 ART IDN Program Update Libertador C
10:30 to 12:00 ART AoC and Org. Reviews: Supporting ICANN Accountability Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:00 ART GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures DG Retiro B
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
12:00 to 13:30 ART At-Large Regional Leadership Meeting Golden Horn
12:30 to 14:00 ART Caribbean Working Lunch [C] Aljibe
13:00 to 13:45 ART Joint Meeting of the ICANN Board and the SSAC [C] Martin Fierro
13:00 to 14:15 ART IDN Root Zone LGR Workshop Aguila
13:00 to 15:00 ART GNSO Council Libertador C
13:00 to 15:00 ART LAC ISPs and the Internet Unique Identifiers. Security Topics Libertador AB
13:30 to 14:45 ART Registrars and Law Enforcement Auditorio
14:00 to 15:00 ART Joint Meeting of the ASO/NRO with the ICANN Board Martin Fierro
14:00 to 15:30 ART At-Large AFRALO/AfrICANN Joint Meeting Golden Horn
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Communiqué Drafting Session [C] San Telmo
14:15 to 15:30 ART Registration Data Access Protocol: What’s Next? Retiro A
15:00 to 17:00 ART GNSO Privacy & Proxy Accreditation Services Issues PDP WG Retiro C
15:15 to 16:45 ART Joint Meeting of ICANN Board & Technical Experts Group [C] Martin Fierro
15:30 to 16:45 ART RSSAC Workshop Auditorio
15:30 to 17:00 ART ASO Address Council Public Meeting and Workshop Libertador C
15:30 to 17:00 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 2 Libertador AB
16:00 to 18:30 ART ccNSO Council Meeting La Pampa
17:00 to 18:00 ART NCSG-CC Working Party on Human Rights Retiro A
17:00 to 18:30 ART At-Large ICANN Academy Working Group Atalaya
17:00 to 18:30 ART Next Steps for Whois Accuracy Reporting Auditorio
17:00 to 18:30 ART Pre-CWG Seminar on New gTLD Auction Proceeds Retiro C
17:00 to 18:30 ART Thick Whois Policy Implementation-Meeting with the IRT Retiro B
17:30 to 18:45 ART CCWG-Internet Governance F2F Meeting Aguila
17:30 to 19:00 ART Fellowship Afternoon Session Libertador C
18:00 to 19:30 ART European Stakeholders Networking Event Aljibe
18:30 to 20:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Showcase Golden Horn


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ICANN 53, IANA Transition, Stakeholder Proposals, NTIA Questions

Ahead of the ICANN 53 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina (pre-ICANN 53 meetings have already started in Buenos Aires) Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling, posted a review of the work thus far in the IANA Stewardship Transition, including the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability. Strickling raised several questions (excerpt follows, emphasis added):

NTIA Administrator
Lawrence E. Strickling
(source: US government)

"Next week, hundreds of members of the Internet stakeholder community will attend the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) 53rd meeting in Argentina ... one of NTIA’s top priorities continues to be the transition of NTIA’s role related to the Internet Domain Name System. Since we announced the IANA stewardship transition in March 2014, the response of the stakeholder community has been remarkable and inspiring ... the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) must combine these proposals into a consolidated transition proposal and then seek public comment on all aspects of the plan ... [The ICG] must build a public record for us on how the three customer group submissions tie together in a manner that ensures NTIA’s criteria are met and institutionalized over the long term.

... the final submission to NTIA must include a plan to enhance ICANN’s accountability. Given that the draft proposal of the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability will be a major focus of the discussions next week in Argentina, I would like to offer the following questions for stakeholders to consider:

• The draft proposes new or modified community empowerment tools. How can the Working Group on Accountability ensure that the creation of new organizations or tools will not interfere with the security and stability of the DNS during and after the transition? 
• Do new committees and structures create a different set of accountability questions?
• The draft proposal focuses on a membership model for community empowerment. Have other possible models been thoroughly examined, detailed, and documented? 
• Has the working group designed stress tests of the various models to address how the multistakeholder model is preserved if individual ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees opt out? 
• Similarly, has the working group developed stress tests to address the potential risk of capture and barriers to entry for new participants of the various models? 
• Further, have stress tests been considered to address potential unintended consequences of “operationalizing” groups that to date have been advisory in nature?
• The draft proposal suggests improvements to the current Independent Review Panel (IRP). The IRP has been criticized for its own lack of accountability. How does the proposal analyze and remedy existing concerns with the IRP?
• In designing a plan for improved accountability, should the working group consider what exactly is the role of the ICANN Board within the multistakeholder model? 
• Should the standard for Board action be to confirm that the community has reached consensus, and if so, what accountability mechanisms are needed to ensure the Board operates in accordance with that standard?
• The proposal is primarily focused on the accountability of the ICANN Board. Has the Working Group also considered if there need to be accountability improvements that would apply to ICANN management and staff or to the various ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees?
• ... the ICG, the Working Group on Accountability will need to build a public record and thoroughly document how the NTIA criteria have been met and will be maintained in the future. As the plans take final shape, I hope the community starts to focus on the matter of implementation of its recommendations. Have the issues of implementation been identified and addressed in the proposal so that the community and ICANN can implement the plan as expeditiously as possible once we have reviewed and accepted it? 

... after the Buenos Aires meeting, NTIA will need to make a determination on extending its current contract with ICANN, which expires on September 30, 2015. Last month, I asked both the ICG and the Working Group on Accountability for an update on the transition planning, as well as their views on how long it will take to finalize and implement the transition plan if it were approved. Keeping in mind that the community and ICANN will need to implement all work items identified by the ICG and the Working Group on Accountability as prerequisites for the transition before the contract can end, the community’s input on timing is critical and will strongly influence how NTIA proceeds with the contract extension. I look forward to hearing from everyone in Buenos Aires. At this key juncture, it is timely to not only take stock of all the work that has occurred, but also what lies ahead." 

Read Secretary Strickling's full comments here: Stakeholder Proposals to Come Together at ICANN Meeting in Argentina.

Members of ICANN's CCWG-Accountability have started discussing and answering Strickling's (who is referred to as simply "Larry" on the CCWG mail list) questions:
http://mm.icann.org/pipermail/accountability-cross-community/2015-June/003429.html


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ICANN 53, Buenos Aires, Schedule, Info, Remote Participation Online

Current Date and Time (ART) in Buenos Aires, Argentina:

Quick Links:

• ICANN 53 Buenos Aires 21-25 June 2015 (Official ICANN 53 website)
• ICANN 53 Schedule (Daily Schedule - also see FULL Schedule further below)
• ICANN 53: Buenos Aires – Global Domains Division (GDD) Session Highlights
• CWG on Stewardship Transition meetings at ICANN 53
• CWG-Stewardship Final Proposal for Chartering Organizations' Consideration (11 June) - IANA Stewardship Transition
• ICANN 53 in Buenos Aires (19-25 JUNE 2015) - Enhancing ICANN Accountability CCWG Meetings
• CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability - Draft Proposal

Remote Participation: Go to each session's link below for remote participation online--Audio Stream or Virtual Meeting Room Stream via Adobe Connect--and for more information on each session.

ICANN 53 FULL Schedule (subject to change) (highlighted sessions in bold):
Thursday, 18 June 2015: 9:00 to 17:00 ART ICG Working Session 1 San Telmo--This is a working session of the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG).

Friday, 19 June 2015

08:00 to 18:00 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 1 Retiro A
08:00 to 19:00 ART LAC DNS Forum La Pampa
09:00 to 17:00 ART ICG Working Session 2 San Telmo

Saturday, 20 June 2015

07:45 to 08:45 ART GNSO Standing Committee for Improvements Implementation (SCI) Retiro B
09:00 to 18:30 ART GNSO Working Session Saturday Retiro B
10:00 to 12:00 ART RALO Chairs Meeting Golden Horn
10:30 to 13:15 ART LAC NGO Caucus on Internet Governance San Telmo
14:00 to 15:15 ART RALO Chairs & ALT Golden Horn
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Meetings - Saturday 20 June San Telmo
16:00 to 18:00 ART Civil Society Outreach Event - NCUC Aguila
18:00 to 19:30 ART Civil Society Networking Event Aguila

Sunday, 21 June 2015

06:45 to 09:00 ART Fellowship Sunday Meeting [C] Libertador C
08:00 to 09:00 ART ALAC & NCSG Meeting Golden Horn
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Sunday 21 June San Telmo
09:00 to 12:00 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Meeting Golden Horn
09:00 to 15:15 ART GNSO Working Session Sunday Retiro B
09:30 to 11:30 ART How It Works: Internet Standards Setting Atalaya
09:45 to 11:00 ART ccNSO Council Workshop [C] Aguila
10:00 to 16:30 ART Universal Acceptance Steering Group Workshop Catalinas
10:00 to 17:00 ART Newcomer Welcome Session Libertador C
11:00 to 12:15 ART ccNSO Council Preparatory Meeting [C] Aguila
12:00 to 16:00 ART RySG-Geo TLD Registries Interest Group Retiro A
12:15 to 13:15 ART At-Large Review Working Party Golden Horn
13:00 to 14:15 ART Tech Working Group [C] Aguila
13:00 to 15:00 ART How It Works: Internet Networking Atalaya
13:30 to 15:00 ART ccNSO SOP Working Group [C] Martin Fierro
13:30 to 17:30 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Meeting Golden Horn
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Meetings (PM) - Sunday 21 June San Telmo
15:00 to 16:00 ART CCWG-Accountability Meeting with the ICANN Board Retiro C
15:30 to 17:30 ART How It Works: Domain Name Registry Protocols Atalaya
15:45 to 16:45 ART ccNSO Secure Email Comm. for ccTLD Incident Response WG [C] Aguila
16:00 to 17:30 ART LAC Steering Committee Review Session [C] La Pampa
17:00 to 18:00 ART BC - Brand Registry Group (BRG) Libertador C
17:00 to 19:00 ART RrSG and RySG ExCom [C] Retiro A
17:30 to 18:30 ART At-Large Ad-Hoc ICANN Accessibility Working Group Golden Horn
18:00 to 20:00 ART Fellowship Social [C] Catalinas
18:30 to 20:00 ART IANA Stewardship Transition/Enhancing ICANN Accountability Information Session Libertador C

Monday, 22 June 2015

06:45 to 08:30 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Golden Horn
07:00 to 08:00 ART DNS Women's Breakfast Catalinas
08:30 to 10:00 ART Welcome Ceremony and President's Opening Session Libertador AB
10:00 to 18:00 ART Presentation to Registrars Retiro B
10:30 to 13:00 ART CWG-Stewardship/CCWG-Accountability Town Hall Meeting Libertador AB
10:30 to 17:00 ART Tech Day La Pampa
11:00 to 12:30 ART LAC Space San Telmo
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
13:00 to 14:00 ART At-Large NARALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
13:00 to 14:30 ART CCWG on Use of Country/Territory Names as TLDs Retiro A
13:00 to 14:30 ART Meet ICANN for Civil Society and End Users San Telmo
13:30 to 15:00 ART Public Safety Working Group Catalinas
14:00 to 15:00 ART At-Large Technology Taskforce Working Group Golden Horn
14:00 to 15:00 ART GAC Human Rights and International Law Working Group Atalaya
14:00 to 15:00 ART Internet Coordination Update Libertador AB
14:00 to 15:30 ART Global Domains Division Update Libertador C
15:00 to 16:15 ART CJK GP Interaction [C] Martin Fierro
15:15 to 16:30 ART SO-AC High Interest Topic Session Libertador AB
15:15 to 16:45 ART ICANN In Your Language - ICANN Language Services Dept. San Telmo
15:30 to 16:45 ART ccNSO Rules and Guidelines Review Committee [C] Retiro A
15:45 to 17:45 ART New gTLD Program Reviews Libertador C
16:00 to 17:15 ART Francophonie @ ICANN53 Retiro C
16:45 to 18:00 ART CWG-Stewardship Engagement Session Libertador AB
17:00 to 18:30 ART Challenges Post NET Mundial for the LAC Region San Telmo
17:00 to 18:30 ART DNSSEC for Everybody; A Beginners Guide Golden Horn
18:00 to 19:30 ART Universal Acceptance Libertador C
18:15 to 19:30 ART Internet Governance Public Session Libertador AB
18:15 to 19:30 ART Joint ccNSO/GNSO Councils Retiro C
19:00 to 20:30 ART Welcome Reception for Business Stakeholders [C] Catalinas

Tuesday, 23 June 2015

06:45 to 09:00 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Retiro C
07:00 to 08:45 ART Domain Name Association Members Breakfast [C] Catalinas
07:15 to 08:15 ART At-Large EURALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
08:00 to 17:00 ART gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group Libertador C
08:30 to 09:30 ART Joint Meeting of the ALAC and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Tuesday 23 June San Telmo
09:00 to 10:30 ART LAC Strategy Update and Discussion Golden Horn
09:00 to 11:15 ART Commercial Stakeholder Group CSG Martin Fierro
09:00 to 11:30 ART NextGen@ICANN Presentations Aguila
09:00 to 17:00 ART Registrar Stakeholder Group Retiro B
09:00 to 18:00 ART ccNSO Members Meeting Day 1 La Pampa
09:30 to 10:45 ART IETF Buenos Aires 2015 Catalinas
09:30 to 12:30 ART Non-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency (NPOC) Retiro A
09:30 to 13:00 ART Non Commercial Users Constituency NCUC Retiro C
09:45 to 10:45 ART Joint Meeting of the ccNSO and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:30 ART Joint Meeting of the CSG and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:30 ART LAC Talks: Infrastructure, Access, Interconnection and IXPs Catalinas
11:00 to 13:00 ART ALAC Work - Part I Golden Horn
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
13:00 to 14:00 ART At-Large Ad-Hoc New Meeting Strategy Working Party Golden Horn
13:15 to 16:30 ART Business Constituency (BC) Martin Fierro
13:30 to 16:30 ART ISP and Connectivity Providers Constituency (ISPCP) Aguila
14:00 to 16:00 ART ALAC Work - Part II Golden Horn
14:00 to 16:30 ART Non Commercial Stakeholder Group NCSG Retiro C
14:00 to 17:00 ART Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) Retiro A
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Meetings (PM) - Tuesday 23 June San Telmo
14:15 to 15:15 ART Joint Meeting of the Registries with the ICANN Board Libertador AB
15:30 to 16:30 ART Joint Meeting of the Registrars and the ICANN Board Libertador AB
16:15 to 20:00 ART At-Large Ad-hoc WG on IANA Transition & ICANN Accountability Golden Horn
16:45 to 17:45 ART Joint Meeting of the NCSG with the ICANN Board Libertador AB
17:30 to 19:00 ART Fellowship Afternoon Session Libertador C

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

06:45 to 08:45 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Libertador C
08:00 to 09:00 ART At-Large APRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
08:00 to 09:00 ART GNSO-ccNSO CWG for a Framework of CWG Principles Retiro B
08:00 to 09:00 ART RySG - DNA Registry-Registrar Operations Working Group Auditorio
08:00 to 09:30 ART GNSO Translation and Transliteration of Contact Information PDP WG Retiro A
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings (AM) - Wednesday 24 June San Telmo
09:00 to 10:00 ART At-Large Capacity Building Working Group Golden Horn
09:00 to 10:00 ART Whois Accuracy Specification Review Discussion [C] Retiro C
09:00 to 10:15 ART Contractual Compliance Program Updates and Q&A Session Libertador C
09:00 to 10:15 ART ICANN Operations Update Aguila
09:00 to 10:15 ART LAC SSR Session - Securing Internet Critical Infrastructure Libertador AB
09:00 to 15:15 ART DNSSEC Workshop Catalinas
09:00 to 15:30 ART ccNSO Members Meeting Day 2 La Pampa
09:30 to 10:30 ART RySG-Marketing a New Domain Name Registry-Sharing Insights Auditorio
09:30 to 11:00 ART NCSG - ICANNs Corp. and Soc. Resp. to Respect Human Rights Retiro B
09:45 to 10:45 ART Joint Meeting of the Board Governance Cmte. and NomCom [C] Martin Fierro
10:00 to 11:30 ART GNSO IGO-INGO Access to Curative Rights Protection PDP WG Retiro C
10:30 to 11:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Monthly Meeting Golden Horn
10:30 to 11:45 ART IDN Program Update Libertador C
10:30 to 12:00 ART AoC and Org. Reviews: Supporting ICANN Accountability Libertador AB
11:00 to 12:00 ART GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures DG Retiro B
11:30 to 14:00 ART NextGen@ICANN Lunch Session [C] Leisure Suit Larry
12:00 to 13:30 ART At-Large Regional Leadership Meeting Golden Horn
12:30 to 14:00 ART Caribbean Working Lunch [C] Aljibe
13:00 to 13:45 ART Joint Meeting of the ICANN Board and the SSAC [C] Martin Fierro
13:00 to 14:15 ART IDN Root Zone LGR Workshop Aguila
13:00 to 15:00 ART GNSO Council Libertador C
13:00 to 15:00 ART LAC ISPs and the Internet Unique Identifiers. Security Topics Libertador AB
13:30 to 14:45 ART Registrars and Law Enforcement Auditorio
14:00 to 15:00 ART Joint Meeting of the ASO/NRO with the ICANN Board Martin Fierro
14:00 to 15:30 ART At-Large AFRALO/AfrICANN Joint Meeting Golden Horn
14:00 to 18:00 ART GAC Communiqué Drafting Session [C] San Telmo
14:15 to 15:30 ART Registration Data Access Protocol: What’s Next? Retiro A
15:00 to 17:00 ART GNSO Privacy & Proxy Accreditation Services Issues PDP WG Retiro C
15:15 to 16:45 ART Joint Meeting of ICANN Board & Technical Experts Group [C] Martin Fierro
15:30 to 16:45 ART RSSAC Workshop Auditorio
15:30 to 17:00 ART ASO Address Council Public Meeting and Workshop Libertador C
15:30 to 17:00 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 2 Libertador AB
16:00 to 18:30 ART ccNSO Council Meeting La Pampa
17:00 to 18:00 ART NCSG-CC Working Party on Human Rights Retiro A
17:00 to 18:30 ART At-Large ICANN Academy Working Group Atalaya
17:00 to 18:30 ART Next Steps for Whois Accuracy Reporting Auditorio
17:00 to 18:30 ART Pre-CWG Seminar on New gTLD Auction Proceeds Retiro C
17:00 to 18:30 ART Thick Whois Policy Implementation-Meeting with the IRT Retiro B
17:30 to 18:45 ART CCWG-Internet Governance F2F Meeting Aguila
17:30 to 19:00 ART Fellowship Afternoon Session Libertador C
18:00 to 19:30 ART European Stakeholders Networking Event Aljibe
18:30 to 20:30 ART At-Large LACRALO Showcase Golden Horn

Thursday, 25 June 2015

06:45 to 11:30 ART Fellowship Morning Meeting Catalinas
07:00 to 08:00 ART GNSO Non-PDP Data & Metrics for Policy Making Retiro B
07:00 to 08:30 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Wrap-Up Session I Golden Horn
08:00 to 09:00 ART SSAC Public Meeting Auditorio
08:30 to 09:45 ART Contractual Compliance Registrar Outreach [C] Golden Horn
08:30 to 10:00 ART CWG-Stewardship Working Session La Pampa
08:30 to 12:30 ART GAC Meetings - Thursday 25 June San Telmo
08:30 to 12:30 ART ICG Working Session 3 Libertador AB
08:45 to 10:00 ART Registry Operator Roundtable Retiro A
10:00 to 11:30 ART APAC Space Retiro B
10:15 to 11:30 ART Contractual Compliance Registry Outreach [C] Golden Horn
10:15 to 11:45 ART CCWG-Accountability Working Session 3 La Pampa
11:45 to 12:45 ART ALAC and Regional Leadership Wrap-Up Session II Golden Horn
11:45 to 12:45 ART GNSO Wrap-Up Session Retiro B
12:45 to 13:45 ART CEO Succession Process Libertador AB
14:00 to 17:30 ART ICANN Public Forum Libertador AB
17:30 to 18:30 ART ICANN Public Board Meeting Libertador AB
18:30 to 20:00 ART ICANN53 Wrap-Up Cocktail San Telmo

Friday, 26 June 2015

09:00 to 12:00 ART ALAC Leadership Team Meeting Golden Horn

Note: CWG or CCWG means Cross-Community Working Group

More info: ICANN53 | Buenos Aires https://buenosaires53.icann.org and

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LIVE Webinars on the CWG-Stewardship's Final IANA Transition Proposal

LIVE Webinar Briefings on the CWG-Stewardship Proposal for the IANA Stewardship Transition:

Following Public Comment periods in December 2014 and April/May 2015, the Cross Community Working Group to Develop an IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal for Naming Related Functions, otherwise known as CWG-Stewardship, finalized its proposal and has delivered it to SO/AC chartering organizations for approval. The chartering organizations will deliberate during the ICANN53 meeting in Buenos Aires, with expected delivery of the proposal to the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) by 25 June 2015.

In order to brief the community on the contents of the final proposal, the CWG-Stewardship Chairs will host two identical briefing webinars on 11 June at different times to facilitate participation across time zones. The webinars will take place on:

• June 11th from 06:00 – 07:30 UTC (time zone converter here) 2:00 AM EDT (US) note: this is the same as June 10th at 11:00 pm PDT (US)
• June 11th from 13:00 – 14:30 UTC (time zone converter here)  9 am EDT (US)

The webinars will be run in an Adobe Connect room. The webinars will be conducted in English, and will also be recorded, transcribed, and posted on the CWG-Stewardship Wiki.

The full ICANN announcement may be found here.


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