November 2022

TOP STORY

IANA to Upgrade the RZMS Next Month

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) will upgrade the Root Zone Management System (RZMS) on 13 December. Top-level domain (TLD) managers do not need to do anything to prepare, as data will migrate automatically but much of the new functionality is opt-in.

The new features will allow TLD managers to authorize additional users and customize their authorization levels according to organizational needs. Technical checks will also be separated into an independent infrastructure to increase throughput and optimize performance.

ICANN will share more details with RZMS users and hold a webinar for those who missed the RZMS session at ICANN75 and the Contracted Parties Summit. Please contact iana@iana.org with any questions.

And please attend IANA Community Day on 17 November to participate in a dialogue about the evolution of root zone technical checks.

ICANN NEWS

ICANN Org Delivers ICANN Grant Program Design and Implementation Plan Update

By Tripti Sinha, ICANN Board Chair

The ICANN organization (org) recently provided an update to the ICANN Board on its development of the Preliminary Design and Implementation Plan for the ICANN Grant Program.

The ICANN Grant Program is based on the recommendations in the Final Report of the Cross-Community Working Group on New gTLD Auction Proceeds, which the Board adopted in June. The Board directed ICANN org to produce a preliminary implementation plan within 120 days. We are impressed with the depth of planning by ICANN org within this timeline.

The Grant Program is the culmination of years of work by the ICANN community. It is a testament to the multistakeholder model in action, as well as ICANN org's ability to deliver on the community's recommendations.

Read my blog to learn more about the program.

Explore ICANN’s FY22 Annual Report and

Financial Statements

The ICANN Board published its Annual Report for fiscal year 2022 (FY22), which ended 30 June 2022. The report documents the activities of the ICANN Board, community, and org throughout the year.

In addition, ICANN org and Public Technical Identifiers each published their audited consolidated financial statements for FY22.

Read this announcement for highlights and to view the statements.

ICANN Debuts Enhanced Board Section on the Information Transparency Platform

By Sally Newell Cohen, SVP, Global Communications and Language Services

I am pleased to announce the launch of the new and improved Board of Directors section of icann.org. The Board activities and meetings pages on icann.org have been updated consistent with the goals of the Information Transparency Initiative (ITI) to improve the experience for community members and others who want access Board updates and associated files. Overall, this enhancement applies to more than 6,000 Board-related pages and files.

The team has made several improvements to the Board Meetings page, including:

Filtering search by document type (agenda, approved resolutions, briefing materials, minutes, preliminary report, secretary's notice), committee, meeting type, and date
Improving keyword search for documents and files
Enabling email subscription alerts when new content is posted or updated
Allowing users to download search results as a CSV file
Improving the overall layout and user experience

To learn more about the improvements and the ITI, read my blog.

ICANN DNS Symposium Reminder

Don’t forget to attend the 2022 ICANN DNS Symposium on 15–16 November in Brussels, Belgium. This hybrid event will offer a forum to discuss technical topics related to the Domain Name System. In-person registration is closed, but you can still register to participate virtually.

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Make a Public Comment Submission

NORTH AMERICA ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHTS

ICANN Partners With NANOG to Engage With Historically Black Colleges and Universities

In an effort to bolster participation from underrepresented communities in North America, ICANN is partnering with the North American Network Operators’ Group (NANOG) to reach historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States.

For our first joint event, ICANN organization’s North America team joined the NANOG U program 19–20 September in Montgomery, Alabama, hosting students from area HBCUs for two days of educational programming on various technical topics and how to pursue a career in tech.

David Huberman, ICANN’s Technical Engagement Manager for North America and Europe, gave a presentation on the DNS and the Root Server System. Huberman, along with Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager Joe Catapano, answered questions from students at the school.

Achieving more diverse participation in the Internet ecosystem results in a stronger multistakeholder model and strengthens our stakeholders’ work.

Regional At-Large Stakeholders Gather for General Assembly

Members of the North America Regional At-Large Organization (NARALO) gathered on 19–20 October in Los Angeles for their 2022 General Assembly, under the themes of “Empowerment, Encouragement, and Engagement.” It was the first time the assembly was held since 2017; the event was delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The agenda supported NARALO’s work acting in the best interests of end users in North America and featured discussions on policy, outreach, and engagement, as well as capacity development. NARALO is in the process of developing its outreach engagement strategy for the next year as ICANN returns to face-to-face events.

The meeting was held in memory of NARALO member John More, who recently passed away.

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Explore ICANN's Engagement Calendar

POLICY UPDATE

ARIN Holds 50th Public Policy and Members Meeting

To celebrate its 50th Public Policy and Members Meeting, the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) rolled out the red carpet and headed to Hollywood. ARIN 50 took place 20–21 October in Los Angeles, as well as virtually via Zoom.

With 12 policies on the docket, ARIN 50 attendees were quite busy. Along with the stacked policy schedule, ARIN also hosted its Election Forum, with speeches from the candidates running for the Board of Trustees, the Advisory Council, and the Number Resource Organization Number Council, as well as a Candidate Forum during which candidates answered questions from the ARIN community. The election results were announced in early November. To learn more about the ARIN elections, and to see who won, visit https://www.arin.net.

ARIN would like to thank all attendees as well as our staff for another successful meeting. We hope to see everyone for ARIN 51 in Tampa, Florida, in April 2023!

ARIN President and CEO John Curran presents at ARIN 50 in Los Angeles.

GDS UPDATE

SubPro ODP Update: Global Engagement Work Track

The Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Operational Design Phase (ODP) continues to move forward, and ICANN org continues to prepare for the potential next round of applications for new gTLDs.

To support these efforts, Work Track 6 of the ODP focuses on global engagement, with the goal of capacity development, communications, and outreach for global inclusivity and to support the launch of the next and subsequent rounds through activities aimed at expanding the reach of the program.

Read this blog for more information on Work Track 6.

Call for Volunteers: Rights Protection Mechanisms Implementation Review Team

ICANN is seeking volunteers for a new Implementation Review Team. This team will assist the org with implementing policy recommendations from Phase 1 of the Policy Development Process Working Group on the Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms in All gTLDs.

Read this announcement for information on how to volunteer.

REVIEWS UPDATE

Browse ICANN Org’s Employee Practices and Resources

On the ICANN org website, you can now find a comprehensive overview of the org’s employee practices and resources. This page serves to improve the transparency of ICANN org’s staff accountability and also provides information on how to submit feedback on org performance.