BIZCONST NEWS

This issue includes updates on WSIS and in particular the newly-announced Working Group on Internet Governance - the BC is proud to have a number of its members on the group.

Also included are details of two important reviews affecting the GNSO and ICANN.  

We hope that this newsletter continues to provide you with relevant information regarding all the issues and news.  Its aim is to give a snapshot of an issue with onward links to fuller detail and background information.  The secretariat would be pleased to hear your comments about the newsletter.

Best wishes
Gary
 

Marilyn Cade (nominated by Chris Boam and Grant Forsyth) was  re-elected as a BC rep to the GNSO for a period of two years.
 

ICANN meetings will take place in Cape Town, South Africa 
1-5 December 2004.

Please note that constituency day is on Thursday 2 December.  As usual there will be a cross-constituency meeting in the morning, 9.30am-1.30pm, and a BC meeting in the afternoon, 2.30-4.30pm.  Agendas for the meetings will be circulated by e-mail shortly.

Remote telephone participation for members will be available  for the BC meeting, dial-in details to be distributed by mail.

Please let the secretariat know if you are planning to attend the meetings in Cape Town or if you hope to participate by telephone.
   

The process of moving ahead with the World Summit on the Information Society, Stage Two, and the two working groups related to Internet Governance and Financial working group continues. 

At the upcoming ICANN meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, Marilyn Cade is working with other constituencies and interested parties and the ICANN staff as part of the WSIS group to organize the WSIS event at ICANN. The agenda will be announced shortly, and will be posted to the BC list.

The BC is pleased to announce that four members of the BC Constituency are appointees to this important Working Group.  Ayesha Hassan, ICC; Allen Miller, WITSA, and Waudo Siganga (who is affiliated with WITSA) and Charles Sha'ban, TAGI.  We will take advantage of our members and other Cross Constituency members who are actively engaged to have a debrief in our Cross Constituency meeting. It is a testament to the great work of Ayesha, Allen, and another of our colleagues, David Fares, that the industry will be so effectively represented.

Full details of the WGIG are available here: www.wgig.org  

There are several very important meetings related to the WSIS process during December, 2004. We plan a more extensive article on the WSIS for our early 2005 issue of this newsletter.
   

The review will cover the work of the GNSO Council to date, including work brought forward from the DNSO Names Council.

The bylaws stipulate there are two goals of the review. 

Goal 1 is “whether that organization has a continuing purpose in the ICANN structure”. Under this goal the policy achievements as well as the outreach and diversity of the Council will be examined. 

Under goal 2,  “whether any change in structure or operations is desirable to improve its effectiveness” a range of items will be reviewed. These include policy development timelines, staff support, policy implementation and compliance, voting pattern of Council, the number of constituency representatives on Council and the effectiveness of communication to the ICANN community. 

The review is due to be completed before the Cape Town Board meeting.
 

For full details of the review:

www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-31oct04.htm
 

30 September 2004

The US Senate's Subcommittee on Communications of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing on oversight of ICANN and the security of the Internet's root servers and the DNS.
  

We would like to thank Charles sincerely for his valued work on the committee in the past and wish him well in his important new ventures.
 

ICANN Meetings Schedule

2005
April 4-8 Mar del Plata, Argentina
July 11-15 Luxembourg
Dec 5-9 North America

2006
March 27-31 Asia Pacific
June 26-30 Africa
October 30-Nov 3 Latin America

2007
March 26-30 Europe
June 25-29 North America
October 29-Nov 2 Asia Pacific

ICANN Board Meetings
ICANN is actively soliciting proposals from organizations seeking to host an ICANN Board of Directors Meeting in 2005 and 2006. 
 

The new member contacts list is now in circulation.  All members should have received a copy by e-mail. If you have not received your copy, please contact the secretariat.