Page History

This page contains all announcements posted to the main At-Large Improvements Prjoect Workspace.

__________

18 March 2011

ICANN's Silicon Valley Meeting concluded today with a public session held by its Board.  In this session, the Board approved the opening of the public comment period on the ICANN Bylaw amendments proposed as part of the ALAC/At-Large Improvements Project.  The primary goals of these amendments, as established in the Final Report of the ALAC Review Working Group on ALAC Improvements (Final Report; 9 June 2009), are two-fold:

• To affirm that the ALAC, as the representative body of At-Large, is the primary organizational home for the individual Internet user within ICANN; and
• To reflect the ALAC’s continuing purpose within ICANN (i) in providing advice on policy, (ii) in providing input into ICANN’s operations and structure, (iii) as part of ICANN’s accountability mechanisms, and (iv) as an organizing mechanism for some of ICANN’s outreach.

These amendments were developed by the ALAC and At-Large Imrpovements Work Team A (on the ALAC's continuing purpose within ICANN) and proposed by the At-Large Staff and Office of the General Counsel. 

The public comment period on the amendments is expected to open during April.
__________

17 March 2011

At ICANN’s Silicon Valley Meeting today, as part of its ALAC & Regional Leadership Wrap-up Meeting, the four ALAC/At-Large Improvements Work Teams (WTs) presented the bulk of their draft implementation proposals to the ALAC and regional leadership.  This marked a major milestone for the current phase of the Improvements Project.

Notable examples of these implementation proposals include the following:

• A proposal by WT A (on the ALAC’s continuing purpose) that the ALAC request the At-Large Staff to submit to the Board a set of ICANN Bylaw amendments developed collaboratively by the WT, the ALAC, and the Office of the General Counsel, aimed at clarifying the continuing purpose of the ALAC within the ICANN structure;
• A proposal by WT B (on ALS participation) that the ALAC initiate a training and education program, to coincide with ICANN Meetings, for new ALS members;
• A proposal by WT C (on ALAC planning processes) that the ALAC initiate, develop, and maintain an institutional knowledge management and retention system for At-Large; and
• A proposal by WT D (on ALAC’s policy advice development) that the ALAC adopt a new Policy Advice Development process (PAD) incorporating (a) earlier document translation and education of the ALSes about policy issues, (b) multiple points at which extensions of the public comment period may be requested, and (c) the development of a Staff Policy Review Committee (PRC) to inform the Community of upcoming policy comment periods.    

Immediately after the Silicon Valley Meeting, the WTs, in collaboration with the At-Large Staff, will begin preparing their final report to the ALAC on the Improvements Project.  This report will contain the WTs' formal proposals for the ALAC's consideration.  This phase of the Improvements Project is scheduled to conclude early in the second quarter of 2011.
__________

13 March 2011

At ICANN’s Silicon Valley Meeting today, as part of the ALAC and Regional Leadership Working Session 1, the four ALAC/At-Large Improvements Work Teams (WTs) presented their draft implementation proposals to the broad At-Large Community -- that is, to the RALOs and their ALSes.  The purpose of this session was for the Community to give the WTs its feedback; overall, the draft proposals were met with widespread approval and enthusiasm.

Over the next four days in San Francisco, the WTs will incorporate the Community's input into their proposals.  The WTs will then present their revised proposals to the ALAC and regional leadership during Thursday's ALAC & Regional Leadership Wrap-up Meeting,

Of course, today was not the first time the Improvements WTs received input from the RALOs and ALSes.  Perhaps the most strking aspect of the overall ALAC/At-Large Improvements Project has been the extensive “bottom-up” approach taken in its work.  The Project has truly been conducted and led by the At-Large “edges” – that is, by the regional ALSes and their members.  Of the eight WT co-chairs, the majority (five) are not ALAC members; furthermore, the majority of WT members, by far, come straight from the ALSes.

Since the goal of the At-Large Improvements Project is no less than the enhancement of the ways in which the ALAC and At-Large conduct their business, the RALOs’ and ALSes’ leadership of this Project has ensured their widespread – and very beneficial – influence on our Community for years to come.

__________

13 August 2010

The call for RALO and ALAC volunteers to serve on the four At-Large Improvements work teams, which closed today, had an especially strong response. Each team will include members from all five RALOs.

__________

5 August 2010

Today, ICANN's Board of Directors approved the ALAC/At-Large Improvements Implementation Project Plan and directed ICANN's CEO to report on the project's progress at the 2010 Annual General Meeting in December 2010.

See the Board resolution here.

__________

21 July 2010

On 21 July, as requested by the Board in Brussels, the ALAC and ICANN's At-Large staff submitted the ALAC/At-Large Improvements Implementation Project Plan Summary for consideration by the SIC (in its 22 July meeting) and by the Board (in its 5 August meeting). This Summary highlights the most important aspects of the full Project Plan – namely, the Improvements project's adherence to Board guidance, budgetary implications, potential risk factors (and the steps planned to mitigate them), needed bylaw changes, targeted deadlines, and contributions to ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments.

See this Summary here: ALAC, At-Large Improvements Implementation Project Plan - Summary (21 Jul 2010).pdf.

__________

7 June 2010

On 7 June, the ALAC-At-Large Improvements Project Plan, developed jointly by the ALAC and ICANN’s At-Large staff, in consultation with ICANN’s Legal staff, was submitted to the Structural Improvements Committee for review. This Project Plan contains an implementation timeline and addresses issues related toBoard Guidance, Budgetary Implications, Liability, and Bylaw Changes.

See this Project Plan here: ALAC-At-Large Improvements Implementation Project Plan (7 June 2010).pdf.

__________

5 March 2010

For a comprehensive list of implementation deliverables completed to date, please see the attached Simplified At-Large Improvements Outline (updated on 7 April 2010).

In the months following Nairobi, the At-Large community, working with the At-Large Improvements Project Manager, will execute the following broad steps toward the implementation of the At-Large Improvements:

• The creation of a project plan, including an accurate budget (to be submitted to the Structural Improvements Committee by its May 2010 meeting);
• The strengthening of the At-Large Working Groups, which will be responsible for much of the work implementing the At-Large Improvements; and
• The allocation of specific implementation tasks to individual Working Groups, committees, and relevant ICANN staff.

________

3 March 2010

Since ICANN’s Meeting in Seoul, a number of milestones have been accomplished as part of the implementation of the At-Large Improvements, including:

• The publication of regional brochures, in the relevant languages, by three of our RALOs; brochures by the remaining two RALOs are in production. These will be used as part of a new education, outreach, and recruitment strategy.
• A review of the information flow between the At-Large ALS-RALO-ALAC structure and individual Internet users has begun.
• The public-comment period on a proposed selection process for the At-Large Board member has closed.
• Draft revisions to the ICANN Bylaws, more clearly defining the At-Large role and contribution, are underway.