[LAC-Discuss] Joint Advisory Committee / Supporting Organisation Session - Monday in Mexico City

[At-Large Staff]

Dear Community Members:

We are pleased to provide the information below at the request of the Chair
of the ALAC
---

ACSO Open Joint Sessions in Mexico
Objectives and approach
 
On the Monday of the Mexico meeting, there will be a joint meeting of the
Advisory Committees and Supporting Organisations. The objective of this
³ACSO² session is to share views and perspectives on common issues in a way
that will inform the discussions within those groups during the week.

The format is a discussion among selected members of each of the Supporting
Organisations and Advisory Committees. Each SO and AC will designate up to
four people in order to represent a range of perspectives.

The meeting will be held in two 90-minute sessions, separated by a 30-minute
break, and with a 30-minute feedback period at the end. There will be two
broad discussion topics of common interest, with specific sub-questions.
They are:
 
14:00-15:30 -- EXPANDING THE NAME SPACE
 
-       What is the impact of the new gTLD and IDN Fast Track processes on
the market structure of the Domain Name Space and ICANN¹s processes?
-       How should geographic names be handled and is there a blurring of
³cc² and ³g² spaces ?
-       What should be the cost and the pricing structure for new TLDs (both
application fee and ongoing fees)?
 
16:00-17.30 --  IMPROVING POLICY DEVELOPMENT
 
-       What do we mean by ³policy development²?
-       How can technical expertise and input from stakeholders be included
early in the process?
-       What changes, if any, could be made to ICANN¹s processes to allow
for more effective policy development?
 
These topics were chosen by the Chairs of the SOs and ACs after consultation
with their members.  The objective in each session is to have an open
discussion rather than statements of official position, in order to foster a
common understanding within the community. These sessions will not take
decisions nor does the group represent a decision-making body.

Sessions will be public and transcribed, but they are not a public forum.
Opinion will however be sought during the discussion through the use of
coloured cards to represent whether people agree or disagree with a
particular comment or proposal put forward. A feedback period will follow at
1730 where members of the community will be invited to comment on any of the
topics discussed in the previous two sessions.

Please note that the session and its format remain experimental in an effort
to improve discussion and interaction between Supporting Organizations and
Advisory Committees. As such, not only do we expect to learn from the
session in Mexico but we will be seeking feedback from the SOs and ACs
themselves after the meeting is over in order to identify improvements for
ICANN¹s next meeting in Sydney in June.

-- 
Regards,

Nick Ashton-Hart, Heidi Ullrich, Matthias Langenegger, Gisella Gruber-White,
Marie-Helene Bouchoms
ICANN At-Large Staff
email: staff at atlarge.icann.org