<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>All,</div><div><br></div><div>ICANN Board Member Bruce Tonkin joined the GNSO Council meeting last week to brief the Council on the consumer trust, confidence and competition resolution and make the ask for input. There was solid support for the intent of the resolution, but objection to it being an unfunded mandate. Staff said its support for the effort could only come at the expense of some ongoing Council work. </div><div><br></div><div>Ultimately, it was determined that Rosemary Sinclair (who had volunteered to chair the effort for the Council), would talk to Tonkin about the matter. She would report back to Council with work of a solution or Council would then lodge it concern in a letter to the Board.</div><div><br></div><div>The quotes in Kevin's story sound right, but the context place the concern not on the value of the effort but in its being underwritten.</div><div><br></div><div>In my personal view, a focus on trust, confidence and competition is essential.</div><div><br></div><div>Berard<br></div>
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-------- Original Message --------<br>
Subject: Re: [bc-gnso] GNSO Shelves New gTLD Work Due to Lack of Staff<br>
Support<br>
From: "Marilyn Cade " <<a href="mailto:marilynscade@hotmail.com">marilynscade@hotmail.com</a>><br>
Date: Sat, January 15, 2011 2:17 pm<br>
To: "Phil Corwin " <<a href="mailto:pcorwin@butera-andrews.com">pcorwin@butera-andrews.com</a>>, "Bc GNSO list "<br>
<<a href="mailto:bc-gnso@icann.org">bc-gnso@icann.org</a>><br>
<br>
<br>
I was listening to the call, as was Steve Delbianco, BUT, BC councilors were on the call and shld first respond. <br>
Other members may have been on the audio cast as well. <br>
<br>
Let's first hear from John and Zahoid on for insights. <br>
<br>
<br>
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Phil Corwin <<a href="mailto:pcorwin@butera-andrews.com">pcorwin@butera-andrews.com</a>><br>
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:55:37 <br>
To: <<a href="mailto:bc-gnso@icann.org">bc-gnso@icann.org</a>><br>
Subject: [bc-gnso] GNSO Shelves New gTLD Work Due to Lack of Staff Support<br>
<br>
FYI--Would appreciate any additional insights from BC members who participated in or observed the GNSO Council meeting -- <br>
<br>
<a href="http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped">http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped</a>/ <br>
<br>
ICANN <<a href="http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped/>">http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped/></a>; staff swamped <<a href="http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped/>">http://domainincite.com/icann-staff-swamped/></a>; <br>
<br>
Kevin Murphy <<a href="http://domainincite.com/about>">http://domainincite.com/about></a>; , January 14, 2011, 16:13:16 (UTC), <br>
Domain Policy <<a href="http://domainincite.com/category/domain-policy/>">http://domainincite.com/category/domain-policy/></a>; <br>
ICANN's board of directors is giving its staff and policy-making bodies more work than they can handle. <br>
The GNSO Council yesterday voted to shelve board-requested work on the new top level domains program because no ICANN staffers have the time to help coordinate the project. <br>
Last month, the board <br>
asked <<a href="http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-10dec10-en.htm#6>">http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-10dec10-en.htm#6></a>; the GNSO and other constituencies to come up with ideas, before mid-March, about how to measure the consumer benefits of new TLDs after they launch. <br>
But the Council yesterday was faced with having to suspend other policy development, in order to get the required staff support, so decided instead to defer the new work. <br>
A senior ICANN executive at the meeting said that ICANN staff is "not an unlimited resource" and has "no bandwidth to keep taking these projects". <br>
This has apparently been an issue for over a year. <br>
In this particular instance, the problem project comprised part of ICANN's obligations under its Affirmation of Commitments with the US government, so it's not trivial stuff. <br>
As others have <br>
noted <<a href="http://domainnamewire.com/2010/08/13/icann-community-faces-policy-overload/>">http://domainnamewire.com/2010/08/13/icann-community-faces-policy-overload/></a>; , sometimes the amount of policy development going on in ICANN can appear overwhelming to outsiders, but it seems that this problem also extends to ICANN internally. <br>
<br>
<br>
Philip S. Corwin <br>
Partner <br>
Butera & Andrews <br>
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW <br>
Suite 500 <br>
Washington, DC 20004 <br>
202-347-6875 (office) <br>
202-347-6876 (fax) <br>
202-255-6172 (cell) <br>
"Luck is the residue of design." -- Branch Rickey<br>
<br>
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