Call for Volunteers to Participate on Enhancing ICANN Accountability

In brief The Cross Community Working Group (CCWG) was formed to deliver proposals that would enhance ICANN‘s accountability towards all stakeholders. The organizations that chartered the CCWG now call for volunteers to join this effort. How to participate There are two ways to volunteer: Individual Participants – anyone interested can volunteer to join the CCWG …

Double hammer blow to ICANN and pals’ internet power grab bid as CGI.Br, ISOC and International Chamber of Commerce want clarifications

The controversial NetMundial Initiative (NMI) – an effort by various countries and organizations to steer the internet – may be beyond saving after a second series of rejections. This time it’s been snubbed by the business world and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) today published a damning letter [PDF] …

Guinea-Bissau’s ccTLD starts working

The top-level domain(.GW) of Guinea-Bissau is already working, the National Regulatory Authority (ARN) , responsible for the telecommunications sector in the country, said Wednesday in Bissau. The process was launched with the support of DNS.pt association, responsible for Portugal’s top-level domain Portugal (.PT) and which works in this area with other African countries with Portuguese …

The Register: ICANN led ‘Internet Security Council’ struggling to launch with just 10 nominations, and one contribution

Plans for a new internet governance body are struggling to get off the ground after blowback from the internet community itself. The NetMundial Initiative was formally launched three weeks ago as an open source platform that would enable people to collaborate on internet governance issues. However observers immediately took issue with the fact that before …

Pending IANA Transition, US CongressMan Rep. Kelly Introduces Defending Internet Freedom Act of 2014

  Summary: The Defending Internet Freedom Act [PDF], put forward by Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA), would see the creation of a board made up of techies and reps from the domain name world, as well as a new consortium to run the critical IANA body.   Bill would protect Internet from foreign government control WASHINGTON …

“Attempts to impose rules on the Internet are doomed to fail” says ICANN CEO

ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade  has told Bloomberg yesterday in an interview that government attempts to impose rules on the Internet are doomed to fail Read the coverage below Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) — ICANN, the gatekeeper for Web addresses, said government attempts to impose rules on the Internet are doomed to fail as the group seeks …

Exclusive interview: ICANN GAC Chair Change

In October 2014, the Chair of ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), Heather Dryden of Canada, stood down after four years at the helm.  She and incoming ICANN GAC Chair Thomas Schneider of Switzerland discuss the role, the past and the future, and governments’ role within ICANN. Thomas Schneider, incoming ICANN GAC Chair What are you most looking …

Ip-Watch: ITU Plenipot 14 Outcome Limiting UN Agency Role In Internet Governance Deemed “Success”

  By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch US Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda on the eve of the final celebration of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference last week said he was “happy” about the results. Asked what he thought was the most important resolution of the three week conference, he told Intellectual Property Watch …