[bestbits] should BB submit coordinated comments? - Enhancing ICANN Accountability

Fri May 9 11:58:05 EDT 2014

Enhancing ICANN Accountability
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/enhancing-accountability-06may14-en.htm#>
4<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/enhancing-accountability-06may14-en.htm#>
Comment / Reply Periods (*)
Comment Open Date:
6 May 2014
Comment Close Date:
27 May 2014 - 23:59 UTC
Reply Open Date:
28 May 2014
Reply Close Date:
18 June 2014 - 23:59 UTC
Important Information Links
Public Comment Announcement<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-06may14-en.htm>
To Submit Your Comments
(Forum)<comments-enhancing-accountability-06may14 at icann.org>
View Comments Submitted<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-enhancing-accountability-06may14/>
Brief Overview
Originating Organization:
ICANN
Categories/Tags:

   - Transparency/Accountability

Purpose (Brief):

As announced at ICANN's March 2014 Public Meeting in Singapore, ICANN is
initiating a discussion on Enhancing ICANN Accountability. This discussion
will look at how ICANN remains accountable in the absence of its historical
contractual relationship to the U.S. Government and the perceived backstop
with regard to ICANN's organization-wide accountability provided by that
role. While related to the ongoing discussions around the IANA Stewardship
Transition, this is a separate process, though the output of this process
is expected to be completed on the same timeframe as the stewardship
transition work.
Current Status:

ICANN is initiating the community discussion on enhancement of ICANN's
accountability through the posting of a background document and questions
for input.
Next Steps:

The responses received will be compiled and analyzed. Prior to ICANN's June
2014 Public Meeting in London, ICANN's Supporting Organizations and
Advisory Committees will be requested to start identifying Working Group
participants, so that the work can start in earnest at ICANN 50 after
community input is received.
Staff Contact:
Theresa Swinehart, Senior Advisor to the President on Strategy
Email Staff Contact<theresa.swinehart at icann.org?subject=More%20information%20on%20the%20Enhancing%20ICANN%20Accountability%20public%20comment%20period>
Detailed Information
Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose:

On March 14, 2014, the US National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to transition its stewardship
over key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder
community. NTIA asked ICANN, as the IANA functions contractor and the
global coordinator for the DNS, to convene a multistakeholder process to
develop a proposal for the transition.

During discussions around the IANA stewardship transition, the community
has also raised the broader topic of the impact of the transition on
ICANN accountability.
While the community develops a proposal for the transition of NTIA's
stewardship role, it is important that the community also address the
separate – but interdependent and interrelated – issue of ICANN's
accountability. As a result, ICANN is launching a separate process, the
scope of which is to look at ICANN remaining accountable in the absence of
its historical contractual relationship to the U.S. Government and the
perceived backstop with regard toICANN's organization-wide accountability
provided by that role, such as the renewal process of the IANAFunctions
Contract. This second process will examine from an organizational
perspective how ICANN's broader accountability mechanisms should be
strengthened to address the absence of its historical contractual
relationship to the U.S. Government. This includes looking at strengthening
existing accountability mechanisms like the Affirmation of
Commitments<http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/aoc/affirmation-of-commitments-30sep09-en.htm>.
This process is additive, not a duplication of any of the reviews called
for under the Affirmation of Commitments.

This Accountability Process is envisioned to be coordinated by the
ICANN Accountability
Working Group, comprised of community members as well subject-matter
experts in a range of areas, including:

   - Internet Technical Operations
   - International Organizational Reviews
   - Global Accountability Tools and Metrics
   - Jurisprudence / Accountability Mechanism
   - Internet Consumer Protection
   - Economics (Marketplace and Competition)
   - Global Ethics Frameworks
   - Operational, Finance and Process
   - Board Governance
   - Transparency
   - Risk Management

The Enhancing ICANN
Accountability<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/enhancing-accountability>
page
sets out the detail of the proposed terms of reference for the process as
well as setting forth questions designed to provide input to the ICANN
Accountability
Working Group. For ease of reference, the questions posed are:

   - What issues does the community identify as being core to strengthening
   ICANN's overall accountability in the absence of its historical
   contractual relationship to the U.S. Government?
   - What should be the guiding principles to ensure that the notion of
   accountability is understood and accepted globally? What are the
   consequences if the ICANN Board is not being accountable to the
   community? Is there anything that should be added to the Working Group's
   mandate?
   - Do the Affirmation of Commitments and the values expressed therein
   need to evolve to support global acceptance of ICANN's accountability
   and so, how?
   - What are the means by which the Community is assured that ICANN is
   meeting its accountability commitments?
   - Are there other mechanisms that would better ensure that ICANN lives
   up to its commitments?
   - What additional comments would you like to share that could be of use
   to the ICANNAccountability Working Group?

As the public comment period is underway, ICANN will be reaching out to the
Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees regarding the
identification of Working Group members. ICANN anticipates that the Working
Group will commence its work, including consideration of community input,
during ICANN 50 in June 2014. It's expected that sub-working groups on
specialized subject areas will be useful and open to all.
Section II: Background:

The Enhancing ICANN
Accountability<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/enhancing-accountability>
page
sets forth detail on the community consultation that led to the creation of
this ICANN Accountability Process, as well as an inventory of ICANN's
current accountability efforts.
Section III: Document and Resource Links:

Community input is sought on the Enhancing ICANN Accountability proposal.
Further background on the IANA Stewardship Transition is available at
http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/iana/transition.
Section IV: Additional Information:

N/A

-- 
*Carolina Rossini*
http://carolinarossini.net/
+ 1 6176979389
*carolina.rossini at gmail.com*
skype: carolrossini
@carolinarossini
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