ICANN Calls for Volunteers for the New gTLD Program Next Round Implementation Review Team

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) organization (org) is seeking volunteer participants for the Implementation Review Team (IRT) to assist in the implementation of the policy recommendations in the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process Final Report.

On 16 March, the ICANN Board passed a resolution on a set of recommendations calling, among other things, for "a working methodology and Implementation Review Team (IRT) work plan and timeline as agreed upon by ICANN org and the GNSO Council."

Work Description

Per the Consensus Policy Implementation Framework (CPIF) and the IRT Principles and Guidelines, the IRT will:

• Serve as a resource to ICANN org on policy and technical questions that arise with regard to the Board-approved recommendations of the Final Report.
• Serve as a resource to ICANN org on the background and rationale of the policy recommendations and seek additional guidance from the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council, as required.
• Assist ICANN org in developing the policy implementation details to ensure that the implementation conforms to the intent of the policy recommendations.

During one of the GNSO Council's working sessions at ICANN76, ICANN org proposed that the New gTLD Program Next Round IRT take the form of an "Open + Representative Model" based on the GNSO's Policy Development Process (PDP) 3.0 model of an "open + representative" PDP Working Group (WG).

Pilot: Open + Representative Model

Under the Open + Representative model, the IRT will consist of volunteer participants and representatives appointed by each ICANN Supporting Organization, Advisory Committee, stakeholder group and constituency. Participants and representatives will be equal members of the IRT, with the same ability to take the floor and post to the mailing list, and the same ability to raise concerns about ICANN org's implementation approach, as detailed in the IRT Principles and Guidelines. Both will be expected to understand the role and remit of the IRT for the implementation project as described in the New gTLD Program Next Round IRT Statement of Participation (SOP), to which all IRT members must commit.

In addition, when determining the level of consensus in the circumstance described in Section V(E) of the IRT Principles and Guidelines, the GNSO Liaison must take into consideration that members who are representatives are expected to express the viewpoints of their respective community groups and participants to express their own views. This does not impact the members' ability to raise any concerns they may have, nor does it absolve ICANN org or the GNSO Council liaison from "exercis[ing] all reasonable efforts to resolve disagreements" within the IRT. For more information, visit the New gTLD Next Round webpage and read this blog.

Who Should Join

The New gTLD Program Next Round IRT is open to all interested participants, particularly current or former SubPro WG team members who participated in the team's deliberations and who deeply understand the Final Report's policy recommendations and accompanying rationale.

Required Skills

• Knowledge and understanding of the Final Report of the New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process and its recommendations.
• Ability to work constructively in a diverse group.
• Willingness to join calls outside of standard office hours (due to the anticipated global nature of the IRT, call times will likely rotate).

Desired Skills

• Membership in the New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process WG.
• Knowledge of the 2012 round of new gTLDs.

Time Commitment

Our primary goal is an efficient implementation process, as the opening of the next round of new gTLDs is a high priority for the Board, org, and community. Therefore, the goal is to complete the implementation work as quickly as practical. However, the exact duration will depend on the delivery of key information, including the deliverables scheduled for ICANN77, as well as the pace of the org's drafting work and the duration of IRT discussions.

The group is expected to meet via teleconference no less often than every other week, and more frequently at peak times. If IRT subgroups are formed, multiple calls per week are possible.

Prior to each call, IRT members are expected to have consulted all relevant materials. Overall, we expect a time commitment of between three and eight hours per week over the course of the IRT's lifetime.

What Is ICANN Org's Role?

The role of ICANN org is to implement "the community's recommendations at the direction of the Board and under the supervision of the CEO" (see the CPIF). When implementing recommendations, ICANN org is "responsible for the entire implementation life cycle, from creating an implementation plan, engaging the IRT (if there is one), consulting with relevant ICANN org staff and any outside parties that are required, and conducting outreach surrounding the implementation, including communicating with the public and relevant stakeholders regarding the progress of implementation" (see the CPIF).

IRT Start Date

ICANN org plans for the first IRT meeting to take place no later than the week of 14 May 2023.

How to Apply

To join the IRT as a participant or observer, please complete this form. Alternatively, if you are not able to access the form, please send an email to [email protected].

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address - a name or a number - into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.