From: Wendy Seltzer
Date: Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:42:44 -0400
The minutes from last week's Board meeting have now been posted:
http://www.icann.org/minutes/prelim-report-27mar08.htm

In addition to the domain reservation issue, raised at ALAC's request
and which the Board passed on to the GNSO Council, the Board discussed
the mid-term review of the JPA, GNSO Improvements, new gTLDs, and other
reviews.

As these minutes indicate, the Board determined to send the "domain
reservation" issue to the GNSO Council for Council response. While
several on the Board would have favored Board action, others felt it was
more appropriate to get GNSO consensus before taking action.

ALAC should now share its concerns with the GNSO Council, as input to
their consideration. We can also make further requests to the Board, if
we feel that stalemate within the GNSO is delaying what we still
consider to require emergency action.

Despite the lack of immediate Board action, I think it was useful for
ALAC to send this request, as it put the issue on the Board's agenda and
will no doubt lead to further discussion. Thanks, Danny, for initiating
it. I'd recommend this approach for other items of registry or registrar
activity that affect the at-large public.

As requested, I asked that the at-large public get input into a more
transparent process in the President's Strategy Committee considering
ICANN reforms in conjunction with JPA reform or transition. I also
raised the importance of giving the ALAC review enough time to conduct a
useful and productive inquiry – I encourage all interested parties to
contact the ALAC review team at <alacreview@westlakenz.com> to have your
experience considered.

The Board will be meeting for a retreat later this month, and is being
encouraged to consider big strategic issues as well as specific policy
matters such as new TLDs. I have asked that registrant and end-user
issues, including contracts, compliance, and the possible sunsetting of
expired consensus policies, be considered in these discussions.

If you would like me to put other items on the Board's agenda, please
let me know. After the retreat (which is not a formal meeting), the
next formal meeting of the Board is 29 April 2008 (agenda items by 19
April).