WT A MEETING MINUTES: 10 FEBRUARY 2011
Participants: Evan Leibovitch, Yrjö Länsipuro, Cheryl Langdon-Orr, Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond, Pasteur Peters Omoragbon, Sivasubramanian Muthusamy, Dev Anand Teelucksingh
Apologies: Eric Brunner-Williams
Absent: Baudouin Schombe, Sylvia Herlein Leite, Matías Altamira, Daniel Monastersky, Carlos Aguirre
Staff: Seth Greene, Heidi Ullrich, Samantha Eisner (ICANN Legal)
STANDING AGENDA ITEMS
1. Roll call – 5 min
2. Review of AIs from 27 January meeting – Co-Chairs, 5 min
a) Samantha to produce (a) a red-line version of the changes to both ICANN Bylaw section XI, 2, 4, a (the proposed preamble) and XI, 2, 4, j and (b) a timeline of the steps to implement these changes.
- Completed; agenda items below.
b) Seth to add to next meeting’s agenda:
Writing of the WT A synopsis that the ALAC can use in its final report regarding the At-Large Improvements; and
Review of WT A’s Simplified Improvements Outline to ensure that the WT has completed its entire mandate (including task 1.4: Extend ALAC Chair term to 2 years).
- Completed; agenda items below.
c) Seth to prepare a proposed agenda for the WT A meeting in San Francisco.
- Completed; agenda items below.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
3. Proposed agenda for Silicon Valley WT A meeting – Seth, 5 min
4. Timeline of steps to implement Bylaw changes (distributed by Samantha Eisner) – Co-Chairs, 5 min
The WT agreed the timeline is fine.
Still must get Bylaw changes, next, to the ALAC for their approval, revision, comments, etc. Olivier is the one sends to ALAC.
Then, after that, Olivier must send to SIC. Included in paper that goes with it should be statements that Legal collaborated on this and approves of it, and that ALAC collaborated on it, as well.
5. Red-line version of Bylaw changes (distributed by Samantha Eisner) – Co-Chairs, 5 min
- Identical wording as that agreed to by WT A
The WT agreed that the redline is fine.
6. Review of WT A Simplified Improvements Outline to ensure that the WT has completed its entire mandate (including task 1.4: Extend ALAC Chair term to 2 years) – C-Chair, 15 min
Task 1.2: Review proposed IIC/post-JPA accountability mechanisms to ensure congruence with recommendation
This task is now moot, and WT A does not need to implement.
IIC was a 2007-09 program. The AoC took care of it.
- There are some cross-over issues: The “home of the individual Internet user” and “consumer” language in the AoC.
- But as far as the ALAC Improvements go, this task is moot.
Task 1.3: ALAC Engagement in ICANN Structural Improvements Programs
- We can dub this task completed: The SIC now does this. We can report (a) good involvement with our own processes and (b) the ALAC’s increasing involvement in commenting on the SIC’s other proposals, such as board timing.
Final Reporting
Jean-Jacques was involved in the structural improvements of the Board, so he’d be a good person to be involved in our final reporting:
- Making sure the WTs have completed their mandate; and
- Doing a strong edit of the text of our final report.
>> AI: At the time of the final reporting on the ALAC Improvements Project, Seth to follow up with Jean-Jacques regarding his possible involvement in the (a) making sure the WTs have completed their mandate and (b) doing a strong edit of the text of the final reporting.
Task 1.4: Extend ALAC Chair term to two years
At present, term of Chair is one year, as stated in the ALAC Bylaws.
Arguments in favor of keeping the Chair’s term to one year:
- Extending it to 2 yrs would concentrate too much power in the hands of the ExCom and the Chair, especially given fact that new people join the ALAC every year.
Arguments in favor of extending the Chair’s term to two years:
- Most people new to the ALAC do not come in ready to be Chair. However, a two-year term for the Chair – a two-year cycle – would be long enough to determine that.
- The GNSO Chair has much more power for one individual. Yet in that case, the term doesn’t matter because there’s the possibility of re-election.
- Building relationships and contacts takes time.
To change the term length of the ALAC Chair (as Rec. task 1.4 would do), would require a change to the ALAC Rules of Procedure. These Rules are in desperate need of a review.
- Therefore, in relation to considering a change in the term of the ALAC Chair, WT A should propose to the ALAC that a complete review of the ALAC’s Rules of Procedure be conducted by a WG by the time of the 2011 Annual Genreal Meeting (AGM). This review should include a look at:
- The role and selection process for the ALAC Chair. The Westlake Final Report did cite a lack of continuity in ALAC’s leadership, and was agreed to by the ALAC Review WG (given that there is a recall process included).
- All of the changes to come out of the Improvements plan, including the changes to the ICANN Bylaws,
- Jean-Jacques would be a perfect person to lead this review of ALAC’s Rules of Procedure, because of his previous involvement with the structural improvement of the Board.
So, WT A will propose to the ALAC that it form a new WG to review all of the ALAC’s Rules of Procedure by the time of the 2011 Annual General Meeting (AGM). This proposal is motivated by the many changes coming out of the ALAC Improvements Program.
7. Planning/Writing of the WT B (a) proposals for ALAC and (b) synopsis that the ALAC can use in its final report regarding the At-Large Improvements – Co-Chairs, 10 min.
This agenda was not discussed.
8. Any other business -- Co-Chairs, 5 min
No other business was introduced.
9. Confirmation of next meeting: Thu, 24 Feb, 2011 at 18:00 UTC – Co-Chairs, 5 min
It was decided that the next meeting of WT A would be during the Silicon Valley Meeting.
Cheryl commented that this WT and its co-chairs has been particularly efficient.
The meeting was adjourned.
