When one wants to become a part of the At Large community, there is a need to acquaint him/her with the work in which At Large is involved in, the structure of At Large and its processes. Information should be provided in chunks to avoid Information Overload. The At Large community is unique within ICANN in that its advisory committee is a balanced representation of all 5 regions ( Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, North America). In understanding At Large, one must have a comprehensive view of the At Large administrative structure, its members, working groups and generally, its inner workings. Having compelling information about At Large means knowing and understanding the following:
- What does At Large Do?
As the home of end users, At Large's activities are as diverse as its end users and allows for end users of different backgrounds (professional, culturally and geographically) to participate and contribute on their specific interests related to Internet Governance and Policy. At Large activities can be broken down into three main areas: Policy Advice Development
The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) publicizes, analyzes, and advises on proposed ICANN policies and decisions that reflect the views and needs of individual users at regional and global levels.
At-Large Community members are empowered to draft position statements on behalf of the ALAC, comment on draft statements, and engage in policy-focused activities. See https://atlarge.icann.org/policy-summaryPolicy Development.
Many At-Large members participate in Working Groups, committees and taskforces. This is where the Policy Development Process (PDP) happens. Cross Community Working Groups and Review Teams are convened to develop ICANN policies and/or recommendations.
Some recent examples:
IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG)
CWG to Develop an IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal on Naming Related Functions
CCWG-Accountability
Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team
The ALAC also has liaisons to other ICANN Communities such as the SSAC, GNSO, ccNSO and the GAC of recent.
Organisation Buidling
To achieve this goal, At-Large carries out activities, events, and meetings that focus on outreach and engagement, capacity building, and operational needs via Working Groups. At-Large membership is not required to participate. These meetings are open and are recorded and transcribed for later reference.
A full listing of At-Large WGs can be found at https://atlarge.icann.org/get-involved
As ICANN manages the coordination of Internet identifiers and its policy topics are quite technical and niche, At-Large plays an important role in making sure that individual Internet users keep in touch with ICANN’s core mission, contribute to policy development, and provide sustainable flow of new blood into the multistakeholder model.
- The At Large Website
- Ebooks and Beginner Guides.
Ebooks have been created by At Large members to help newcomers to better understand At Large and its different regional representation in a more interactive format. These e-books give information ranging from
- Activities organised by At Large
- General information about RALOs
Beginner's guides have also been created and tailor made for the At Large community on the ICANN website to enable newcomers to quickly understand basics of ICANN and At Large. They are in the form of booklets on specific topics that can ease newcomers into various roles within At Large.
- In addition to these guides, ICANN Learn offers introductory courses touching on all arms of ICANN namely the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. It also offers tutorials on ICANN standards of behavior and on the technical parts of ICANN's operations such as DNS, Whois and Domain Names, which is a must for all newcomers. More general courses are also offered on Internet Governance and Diplomacy and how it relates to ICANN.
- ICANN At Large is one of the first communities within ICANN to post podcasts and videos on YouTube. An official At Large YouTube channel is active and there are plans in the near future to post recorded At Large working group and RALO calls on the channel. This will make At Large even more accessible outside the ICANN bubble.
- ICANN holds three meetings a year of which At Large and RALO leaders attend to discuss policy , engagement and outreach issues as well as drafting statements and communiques. More information about the ICANN meetings and participating can be found here.
