Transcription 12 June 2007
3071 ICA ALAC Telecon
(2007-06-12)
Legend
O: Operator
Name: Speaker's first name.
Name L: Speaker's first name plus first initial of last name if more than one person is participating with the same first name.
Name?: Speaker's identity is uncertain.
Male: Unidentified male speaker.
Female: Unidentified female speaker.
SP: Unsure if speaker is male or female.
-ation If it appears that only the beginning of a word was missed because the audio cut out, the part of the word that was heard will be indicated. If the context indicates what the word should be, the whole word will be displayed to make it easier for the reader. However, if there are a variety of possible words, only the part of the word that was heard will be displayed.
Start of Audio
Male: Annette, how are you doing?
Annette: Alright, alright. It’s really hot here, you know. You wouldn’t expect, you know, I’m wearing this nice dress, it’s really hot. And I’m not cold at all.
Male: Good for you.
Annette: But I love hot weather. Oh, sorry, Lilly 00:00:22 go ahead.
Male: Yes. Be prepared to have some warm jacket or whatever in San Juan for the air conditioning.
Annette: Oh yes, I will, I will have my sweater, you know, with the…
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…which goes up the neck.
Alan: Alan here.
Many speakers: Hi Alan.
Sebastien: So, while we’re waiting, how happy are you, Alan, for the Issues Report on Domain Tasting?
Alan: I’m very happy with it.
Sebastien: I found that the GNSO Council didn’t discuss about this in the latest meeting, did they?
Alan: No, the latest meeting had already been scheduled for discussion on the gTLD paper, and they decided that this was a major enough issue that it needed a good discussion, and deferred it to San Juan.
Sebastien: Okay.
Female: Inaudible 00:01:20
Sebastien: I mean, at least staff recommended that it’s worth for the PDP.
Alan: I’m sorry, your voice is breaking up. I couldn’t hear what you said.
Sebastien: Yes, this is inaudible 00:01:29. Well, I’m relatively happy that the staff concluded that it’s worth for a PDP.
Alan: Yes. If they hadn’t done that, it would have been a lot more difficult. Now, it’s not at all clear how the GNSO…
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…will frame the Task Group, the actual work. That remains to be seen.
Sebastien: And I read some comments from Ross Rader inaudible 00:02:00. Ross was relatively inaudible.
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Alan: Yes he was, but he’s allowed to inaudible.
Nick: Hello. Sorry for being a bit late, everybody, I had to find an office that was free.
Alan: Nick, there’s a horrible echo and noise on the line, at least for me anyway.
Nick: I can hear nothing. Does anyone else here it?
Annette: There’s a big difference between Alan and Izumi, yes.
Nick: Is it any better when I pick up, or is it just happening?
Alan: No, it hasn’t changed.
Nick: Hold on. Let me do the star zero trick.
Alan: Do you want me to call back in?
Nick: Well, try that, and if it doesn’t work then…
Annette: Well, Alan, Alan. It happens to me too.
Alan: Let me get them on the line.
Cheryl: I really wish that n equals file six wasn’t there 00:02:46.
Alan: I didn’t understand whoever said that.
Cheryl: It’s Cheryl, and when there was only about five of us on the line, there was no echo. In fact, somebody jinxed us and commented on it, which I did point out to them.
Female: Alan, I think it was when you joined that it got bad inaudible 00:03:04.
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Alan: Well, I can call back in easily. Let me call back and see if it makes any difference.
Nick: There, check it now.
Annette: No, still bad.
Cheryl: No, it’s…
Female: Alan will try to call in again.
Cheryl: See, you’re not echoing.
Nick: Hopefully they’ll track it back.
Operator: Hi there, this is the Operator. It’s coming from Hong Xue’s line.
Nick: Um, Hong Xue. Can you get on her line and tell her?
Operator: Yes, no problem. I’ll do that now for you. Thanks.
Nick: It’s coming from Hong’s line. The operator is about to go talk to her.
Wendy: Yes, but did we ever get the problem resolved with the messages taking forever to mute and un-mute?
Nick: Yes, I talked to them about it, but it’s a systemic thing. They can’t get rid of those notifications, unfortunately.
Wendy: Inaudible 00:03:52 you have the same complaint she had last time, which is that she can’t logically participate.
Cheryl: Yes, it’s not going to be good. And how is the second caller in? We got to n equals five with me number 1, her number 2. When n equals 6, then she started to be… the result of an echo? I’m sorry, I find that difficult to understand.
Nick: Yes, well I’m wondering how she’s connecting in, and maybe they could call…
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…her, or I could connect her up by…
Cheryl: Because, yes, she was connected, there wasn’t any echo until we seemed to get to some form of critical mass.
Operator: Hi, this is the operator. Unfortunately, she seems to be using Skype, so she can’t mute herself by pressing star 6.
Male: Right.
Operator: Sorry, it may be a problem.
Nick: Is it possible to ring her? Can you find out if you can call her at a number she’s at?
Operator: Yes, I can find out, no problem.
Nick: She’s using Skype, and they’re going to try and call her at her number.
Cheryl: At least it makes a bit of sense if she uses it 00:04:59.
Nick: Well, hopefully, hopefully.
Cheryl: It certainly wasn’t a problem until we got to a certain point, because… sound cuts out 15 seconds
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Annette: Who joined?
Wendy: Mr. Static.
Cheryl: We’re all so desperate to avoid the echo, do you think?
Male: Is it still happening?
Female: No.
Annette: I don’t know. Well, it sounds better.
Male: Much better.
phone beeps to indicate someone has joined
Operator: Hong Xue now joined.
Nick: Hong, can you hear us okay?
Hong: Oh, right, it’s okay now.
Nick: Oh, thank God, yay!
overtalking 00:06:15
Hong: But the problem is that they charge double way.
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They charge me for receiving calls.
Annette?: Oh, that’s fun.
Siavash: Hi, this is Siavash coming in.
Male: Hi Siavash. Hong, send me the bill.
Hong: Well, I don’t know how to send you the bill.
Male: I’ll send you an e-mail, but yes, you can expense the bill for these things.
Hong: Oh, I use a prepaid card, so I don’t know.
Annette: Send him the prepaid card.
Male: Well, that’s all right. You could, you know, make a copy of the prepaid card. Laughter. As your receipt. No, it’s okay…
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…don’t worry, we’ll…
Hong: Okay, we need a telecom expert…
Alan: Okay, Alan is back. Overtalking. Apparently coordinator 811 went on lunch break. Laughter.
Nick: It wasn’t you, Alan, you’ll be happy to know. It was Hong on Skype and she’s now been called by them.
Hong: I am sorry for this trouble.
Alan: In any case, I got to listen to their music for a long time.
Male: And that’s exciting, we know.
Alan: They don’t pick music that’s to my taste.
Nick: Is there such a thing… does anyone ever experience hold music that they actually like?
Male: Yes, actually.
Nick: I have one time only I can think of.
Annette: Nick?
Nick: Yes?
Annette: I want to 00:07:37 know about Veronica Cretu. Was it that you wanted to call her on Skype or something? Or did she want to call in? How did it work?
Nick: In which… I’m not sure what…
Cheryl: For Veronica. For Veronica?
Annette: There is a Veronica. This is one of our new…
Nick: I know who she is. I’m saying I’m not quite sure what you’re asking me in relation to her.
Annette: I think Cheryl asked who Veronica is. So, well okay. I will Skype her and ask what’s going on.
Nick: Yes, my Skype is not working at this network for whatever reason, so…
Hong?: Do we have everyone here? Inaudible 00:08:27
Annette: She says she is waiting for you, Nick, to be added to the meeting.
Nick: I can’t add her by Skype, because my Skype doesn’t work from here. Just ask her to tell you what number to call her on, and we’ll have them ring her.
Annette: Okay, okay.
Nick: Because my Skype doesn’t work. This network doesn’t allow it, for whatever reason.
Annette: Okay, okay, okay.
Female: Is Sebastien there?
Sebastien: Yes. Yes, I’m here.
Female: Hi. Hi Sebastien.
Sebastien: Hi inaudible.
Nick: I’m going to go to the Operator and make sure that they’re calling Jacqueline. I have no idea what’s the number.
Annette: Nick, Nick, Nick. Do you have it?
Nick: Hold on. What is it?
Annette: Okay, 0373 22 27 45 04.
Nick: 04. Great, okay, I’m going to go get her and see what they’re doing with Jacqueline, because they’re supposed to be ringing her. Be right back.
Cheryl: Probably has something to do with that launch 00:09:44 broke down and got caught in…
Female: So is it right we just have three quarters of an hour left and then the budget discussion will start?
Alan: That’s right.
Cheryl: You’ve got to love these calls, haven’t you?
Siavash?: I don’t know why they have deteriorated, it used to be…
Alan: That’s not the word I’d use.
Annette: Did anyone read those budget things, slides carefully?
Several speakers: No. No. Not me.
Wendy: I asked if we could send them to the public list and got no response.
Annette: Yes, I’m also wondering. Actually, well, I will ask for that when Nick gets back. Because, Cheryl, we also got something on the budget committee, some information. And actually I thought we would share those information before the telephone conference, but it’s not…
phone beeps to indicate someone has joined
Nick: Okay, they’re dialling now.
Alan: Why don’t we ask them…
Wendy: We have two requests to share information on the public lists. The budget slides, and some other things, apparently.
Nick: The budget slides, we should just ask. I think it’s okay, but we should just double check with Doug when he comes on, but I think it’s fine.
Wendy: And apparently the budget committee got something the rest of us would like to see.
Nick: Um… yes, well let’s discuss that during the budget actual conversation.
Wendy: Well let’s… I’d like to see the materials overtalking 00:11:27.
Nick: Yes, but that’s the point. There’s a reason why you don’t have them yet, and that’s part of the conversation to be had on the budget call.
Annette: On the budget budget call or on the ALAC call?
Nick: The budget call that comes right after this call at 14:30.
Alan: Who is this budget call at 14:30 for?
Nick: You.
Alan: Just the ALAC?
Nick: The ALAC and the Secretariats.
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Alan: That was not clear.
Jacqueline: Hello, everyone, it’s Jacqueline.
Many speakers: Hi Jacqueline. Hello.
Cheryl: How long did you have to wait before you could join us?
Jacqueline: Fifteen minutes.
Cheryl: Oh dear.
Jacqueline: A long time.
Alan: I’m sorry. We’re docking you a quarter of your pay. Laughter
Cheryl: This is ridiculous. However.
Wendy?: Yes inaudible 00:12:16 not very competent.
Annette: So you managed…
Jacqueline: Is everyone all there?
Annette: …to call Veronica?
Male: Have they sent…
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Female: Hello.
Female: Coordinator 811 will be with you shortly. Laughter
Alan: I wouldn’t believe that if I were you. We’re not getting the music.
Wendy: Sorry, I don’t have anything that bad on my hard drive.
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Cheryl?: So who else is here?
Annette: Inaudible 00:12:55 We’ve almost… Hong.
Hong: Yes, Hong’s right here. We’re waiting for Vittorio and Veronica.
Annette: Nick, could you call her?
Nick: They are ringing her now. They just jumped on my line to say… to repeat the number. They needed a different number. They had 07 instead of 04. I don’t know.
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Operator: Veronique now joined.
Nick: Oh great.
Veronica: Hello?
Many speakers: Hi. Hello.
Veronica: Are you there? This is Veronica Cretu from Moldova.
Female: Oh right. Hello.
Male: Hello Veronica.
Veronica: Sorry for joining you so late.
Female: Nick, Carlos says no one has called him.
Nick: Right.
Jacqueline: Okay, I’ll just take the chance to welcome Sebastien and Veronica on our telephone conference. Our new European ALAC members.
Veronica: Thanks a lot.
Sebastien: Thank you very much.
Jacqueline: You’re welcome.
Cheryl: And you can see what the first half of the meeting is like.
Male: Nasty.
Annette: Don’t think that this is half of it. We still have a long time to go.
Cheryl: Well, they’ve got this one sandwiched between the budget one and… anyway.
Jacqueline: Okay. Everybody got the e-mails from the liaison?
Male: Yes.
Jacqueline: And had the chance to read them?
Female: No.
Jacqueline: No?
Veronica?: But I received them.
Alan: If we have a quorum, I suggest we start.
Many speakers: Right. Oh yeah.
Annette: And the agenda?
Jacqueline: Has everyone read the agenda? Is there anything to add to the agenda besides Wendy’s discussion of the travel policy, which I’m about to add in?
Male: Could you speak louder please?
Jacqueline: Oh, sorry. I have to apologize. I am actually sick. Quite. So my energy is going to be very, very low. But I’m here. So, is there anything else to add to the agenda besides Wendy’s wish to discuss the new travel policy?
Annette: So I would like to add the budget issue of the ALAC before the budget call with inaudible 00:15:31.
Jacqueline: Okay.
Cheryl: Well, we’re awake. Even me.
Jacqueline: Oh dear. I’m not sure we’re going to get through all this, because there’s only one hour before the… well, 45 minutes now. Okay, so with those two additions to the agenda, if we make them, is everybody okay with the agenda? Can we adopt the agenda?
Cheryl: Yes.
Veronica: I am fine with the agenda.
Izumi?: No problem.
Jacqueline: Okay, anybody not here? Officially?
Female: Alice 00:16:20 is not here. Who else?
Female: And the other two inaudible members.
Jacqueline: Latin America?
Annette: Apart from inaudible is missing right. Or did I hear?
Jacqueline: Or callers are trying to get in. I don’t know about Jose.
Female: Is Nick there? No. Okay.
Jacqueline: Everybody had a chance to take a look at the minutes of the previous meeting and/or the transcription of the minutes, okay?
Female: Not the transcription.
Annette: Oh, I didn’t read the transcription, because I thought the minutes were okay, but…
Cheryl: Oh well. I don’t think a transcription adds a great deal. “Lady said this. Man said that.” Laughter.
Jacqueline: All we have to agree on is that the minutes are okay without correction, and then we can move on.
Cheryl: Yes, I’ll move that.
Jacqueline: Or make any corrections to the minutes.
Annette?: Well, there is one question. I did not get the whole discussion about the pro working group. What happens there. And I don’t know if that was part of our last telephone conference call or the one before. I’m confused now.
Cheryl: The which? Sorry I didn’t hear what you…
Jacqueline: That was the one before.
Annette?: Ah, okay.
Jacqueline: That was when we were discussing whether it made… Who would be the liaison for the Vienna pro working group. And given that it was nearly finished and that they required that people listen to all of the previous conference calls, nobody was willing to do that, really. But the report has come out, and we can make comments on that. The people who are interested.
Annette: It’s large. It’s really big.
Wendy: It’s also as skewed as we expected it to be, in that it’s all about protecting intellectual property.
Alan: That’s all they discussed, though.
Wendy: Overtalking 00:18:30 Rather than protecting anybody else’s rights or interests.
Jacqueline: Right. So, but to get back to these minutes of May 8th. Does anyone have any changes to make to the minutes?
Alan: I have no changes. I would like in the future that they be a little bit more detailed to reflect what actually transpired at the meeting. But I move that we accept these.
Jacqueline: Second?
Sebastien: Yes, I do second.
Jacqueline: Any objections? Good. Right.
Action items of the previous meeting. I can say right now I was supposed to send a document to Denise and I didn’t, because I’ve been in bed for three weeks.
Many speakers: Oh my God. I hope you feel better.
Jacqueline: Wendy, we’re supposed to do a more specific document on the research request.
Wendy: Is that inaudible 00:19:41? No, I don’t believe I was.
Jacqueline: No?
Annette: It’s hard to hear you both… both of you. I don’t understand.
Jacqueline: Okay, sorry about that. Action item. Wiki ranking systems of top ten items, and ranking of top ten items.
Annette?: Wendy, has anybody done the, did we, did anybody write…
Wendy: Yes, Cheryl very helpfully noted….
Cheryl: Sorry about that, but…
Annette?: Nobody else did. Okay, what do we want to do about that? Forward it to the next, make sure that we… Can everybody agree that we will do it for the next meeting? Which is actually not a teleconference, but a meeting in San Juan.
Wendy: I think we, perhaps, this isn’t the way to do it. But I think our constituents would like to know what issues the ALAC committee thinks are the most important. So that the constituents can then give their feedback on items to add to the agenda or to change. And so that was why this was phrased as a request to the committee members to add to this list.
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Perhaps there’s a better way to do it.
Nick: Sorry, guys, I got… I had to dial back in.
Female: Oh.
Alan: Wendy, given this huge change in turnover in people on this committee, I think this kind of thing is best done in person, or at least after people have talked to each other or are familiar with each other. As interesting as web-based tools are, I don’t think it’s effective for really getting people thinking and working together. I don’t know if we have time in San Juan for it or not, but I just don’t think it’s an effective way of mobilizing this group, who… many of whom are new to the committee, and others are busy already with what’s on their plates. A personal opinion.
Sebastien: Overtalking 00:22:04 I don’t think it will be a very good topic for our face to face meeting in San Juan, so… Because that hopefully the last inaudible and we will have the people who are not yet completely elected. But I think that it’s an important topic that we need to, under… with the full new ALAC members.
Female: Yeah.
Alan: Are we having a meeting on Sunday the 24th, just to get together and just know each other?
Annette: I thought we have a dinner on Saturday night, don’t we?
Cheryl: Some of us won’t be there until midnight.
Female: Some of us will not be there on Saturday.
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Operator: Excuse me. Carlos Aguirre now joined.
Carlos: Hi for all. Carlos here.
Many speakers: Hi Carlos. Buenos dias.
Jacqueline: Okay, so we will move the top ten 00:23:11 policy if you inaudible someone face to face.
Female: Yup.
Alan: What was that? Sorry. Trying to keep up.
Jacqueline: We will move the top ten items to a face to face, because the on-line tool seems to be not that great for getting new people together to discuss, because these need discussing.
Alan: Okay.
Cheryl: Another section I am volunteering move to a face to face. 00:23:48
Male: Okay, let’s move.
Jacqueline: Okay, Ombudsman. Well, everyone saw the inaudible.
Cheryl: Sigh. Sigh.
Male: Amen.
Jacqueline: And the report is with the Board, the Board is free to discuss it. And do we need to discuss it any more?
Female: No.
Izumi?: There was a suggestion to have a meeting with an ombudsman in San Juan. Do we agree or not, one way or the other?
Male: Did you say you have a suggestion to meet him?
Izumi?: I read somebody’s suggestion, I think Vittorio perhaps suggested to have a meeting in San Juan.
Jacqueline: I think it was Robert Derrah 00:24:29.
Izumi?: Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m not too keen to do that.
Wendy: Me neither.
Male: You are or you’re not?
Alan: We didn’t get much out of the previous meeting.
Annette: I mean, he didn’t say a word in the last meeting.
Male: Hmm?
Izumi: My suggestion perhaps is, let’s see how the board reacts and then decide.
Cheryl: Okay. Anyone else have any opinions on meeting with the Ombudsman?
Male: I guess the suggestion was that if they have a meeting with him, do it in the presence of the general council. Otherwise we’ll be very polite and he’ll be very polite, and we won’t get anywhere.
Jacqueline: Well, no. What I think… if we meet with him, the agenda will have to be very specific, with all the things that he says that he’s given us, and explained to us. And we think… And I checked the minutes and he hasn’t. We would have to be very specific and make him, if we meet with him, make him give us the various information that he says he’s already given us. But it is not supported by the minutes, by the transcripts of the meeting.
Alan: I don’t believe there’s any reason to meet with him. On the other hand, if we want to give him an opportunity to explain to the new members what the Ombudsman is supposedly all about…
Annette?: Oh, come on, Alan. This is…
Alan: Overtalking 00:25:50 I’m saying if we want to go through that process that’s the only reason. Other than that, I see no need for a meeting.
Annette: But for new members, I think there are so many people they should meet first, to get introduced to. And I think GNSO and other functions are really basic for our work.
Alan: I wasn’t suggesting it. I was saying that’s the only reason that I would sanction it.
Annette: Okay, okay.
Jacqueline: Okay. So if we have time, and if we have the General Council and if we have a really strong agenda we can meet with him, if he asks to meet with us. Is that what we’re…
Alan: I think he’s expecting us to invite him, from the way I gather from the various documents.
Male: My suggestion is we don’t give this prominence, because we’ve got so many other things to do.
Annette: Right, right. So we leave out the Ombudsman for now.
Jacqueline: Other action items. Both 00:27:08 of us got in touch with the ccNSO. We have his report to do. Christina was asked about the inaudible. I had a long back and forth with them and they have agreed that any additional thing inaudible all the countries. Any people on the IDN working group? Nick? How many people are on the IDN working group?
Nick: I haven’t checked the mailing list lately. Hong, have you?
Hong: Oh, I did check the mailing list. We have, apart from Nick and me and Wendy, we have two subscribers.
Wendy: Overtalking 00:27:53 while we have a list set up, there’s no discussion on it. So I would strongly repeat my suggestion that we use the ALAC list and subject headers to allow people to filter messages.
Jacqueline: Hong, what do you think about that?
Carlos?: I’m sorry. I didn’t hear it too well.
Hong: Sorry, I can’t hear you so well. Would you please repeat?
Jacqueline: What do you want to do about getting people on the IDN working group? Wendy suggested that you start the discussion on the public ALAC list.
Hong: Well, it has always been on the public ALAC list. Otherwise we won’t have the two subscribers. One from North America, another from Asia.
Nick: Could we involve the secretariats, and ask them to insure that one person from each region who’s interested joins?
Hong: Oh that’s a… yes, of course, I strongly suggest that. We should actually approach the secretariat in each region of the… each RALO, and ask them to disseminate the message to the At-Large.
Nick: For the other working groups too, but especially yours.
Hong: Oh, right, okay. But if it’s the ALAC IDN working group, I feel it should primarily constitute the members from At-Large communities. But if other members would like to join in as observers, they should be welcome.
Jacqueline: Okay, so Nick, you’ll send an e-mail to the secretariats?
Nick: Yes.
Jacqueline: Thank you. Research required.
Siavash: I have sort of a suggestion. You know, considering the fact that both GNSO and ccNSO have been working on this IDN for some time. Starting a new working group, I don’t know how wise that is. Maybe we should try to have a stronger presence on both these working groups instead, and join in with the efforts that have been going on.
Nick: Well, that’s the idea, Siavash.
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Operator: Jose Soriano now joined.
Nick: That’s kind of the idea, Siavash, it’s really that the working group concept was for those within the At-Large community to decide how they wanted to break up the work of working with the other constituencies. Overtalking 00:30:37 Not that the working groups would be a different thing, really.
Siavash: Okay, that I agree.
Hong: Siavash, I’ve… last time I was muted, so I was not able to explain the idea of the IDN working group. I see this upcoming working group to assume the talk from two perspectives. One is to reinforce ALAC’s participation in the pre-existing IDN processes. In both PAC-GNSO and ccNSO. And the second perspective is to see whether ALACs or the At-Large community can contribute more to the IDN policy making process. So I’m thinking maybe it’s not very wise to repeat the policy proposal that’s already been made by GNSO, especially. We can present the users’ preferences, the users’ demands for IDN to ICANN. So maybe I want to talk with you later about this. But I’m thinking maybe what I want to present is not another draft of a policy paper, another proposal, but a kind of survey. A polling result. Which is really rooted, derived from the At-Large community. So this is my thinking about this new working group.
Male: Mmm-hmmm.
Hong: Yes?
Jacqueline: Okay.
Male: So how…
Nick: We just need to do a bit more recruiting, really.
Hong: Yes.
Nick: But this is brand new. I mean, we’ve only been at it for a month, so…
Jacqueline: Okay, so we start with the secretariats and try and get more people involved?
Nick: And in the North American and LAC 00:32:50 regions obviously this month we can talk it up more.
Jacqueline: Okay, the research requests. Nick, you talked to Denise about that, and we got the information available.
Nick: Indeed.
Jacqueline: What did Denise say about the report…?
Nick: Well, as I said when I forwarded the e-mail, as I suspected, if we’re to engage in a survey of this scope, it would be not trivially cheap. I mean, we’d probably have a consultant do it, considering the number of registrars there are. We’d need an idea of what it is that the information would be used for.
Female: Excuse me.
Jacqueline: Proposal. A basic proposal.
Nick: Yeah, I mean a basic… not a 50 page document or anything like that, but something that makes clear what the value of the information would be, and why it would be valuable to the At-Large community, and what would be done with it.
Jacqueline: Wendy.
Wendy: Yes?
Jacqueline: Did you have a chance to look at the material that has been… that ICANN already had, that Nick found? I’ve looked at it in the past.
Annette: I’m irritated about this type of discussion because we already made the decision that we would like to have this survey, so it is rather the question if there is enough money to do that, or if in the respect to the money it costs, if the outcome inaudible 00:34:41, then this is something staff should tell, if they doubt that.
Jacqueline: Well, I think that it is perfectly reasonable to ask for a proposal for the project.
Annette: Oh yeah.
Jacqueline: As long as it’s like a one-pager, and it’s something simple that says, “Okay, this is what we want to do, we want to get all this information, this is the reason that we think it’s going to be important, and this what we would like to do with it.” I don’t see… I mean, that’s kind of starting off and doing the terms of reference inaudible for the consultant anyway, because they can’t just tell a consultant. Yeah, so research stuff. You have to give them some parameters.
Cheryl: Oh, some of us would love it as consultants. We’d think it’s a marvellous thing.
Alan: Some of us consultants prefer if we don’t have a framework.
Cheryl: Exactly right.
Jacqueline: I think all consultants would prefer if we don’t have a framework. You can just take the money and do what you want.
Male: You have the money.
Cheryl: inaudible
Alan: And I also suggest we get back on track.
Jacqueline: We need to… Right. Obviously we will need to do a Terms of Reference. Somebody will need to do a Terms of Reference. I’m sure staff will do that if we give them the framework of the Terms of Reference, that basically says “This is what we want to do, this is what we want to find out, and this is where it will go from there.” Wendy? Your research.
Wendy: Well, I’d like first to address my concerns over whether I will even make it to San Juan. And then I will consider whether I’m willing to take on some assignments.
Nick: Well this is from… This is an action item from last meeting.
Wendy: At which point I wrote up the questions and sent them on.
Nick: This is after that.
Wendy: I filled that action item.
Jacqueline: Okay, let’s postpone that for a bit. I already said I haven’t done a thing about hiring Jean 00:36:56, because I’ve been ill, and I will deal with that as soon as I can. And the Issues Report to GNSO, Alan did that. And right. Move on to the end of the reports. Did everyone… All of the liaisons sent in reports by e-mail. Hong sent hers a while ago. Everybody else sent yesterday. Did everyone else… did anyone have a chance to look at them, and does anyone have any questions or discussion on those reports? Board? Did anyone have a chance to read the treasurers e-mail about the Board Reports?
Wendy: I haven’t heard from him, so it wouldn’t be…
Siavash?: Well, I read it, Vittorio’s one among others, and just to connect to the ombudsman thing, I think that both will be discussed on the 18th of June about the ombudsman, or likely to discuss, it’s one week before San Juan. So it would give us a good sort of idea for what the direction it would be. So in case we may have, where A is a meeting with Ombudsman or B we discuss with the board when we meet with them. This was my reaction anyway, for the report. Liaison report.
Wendy: I would be quite curious to hear more details on the Board’s discussion of my and Patrick’s posts on concerns about RALO formation process.
Male: Mm-hmm.
Female: Inaudible 00:38:27.
Siavash?: So perhaps we can ask Vittorio to report back after the Board meeting. Before San Juan, onto the list. That would work pretty well.
Jacqueline: Okay. Then the discussion in Asia Pacific about the meeting being switched to Los Angeles?
Cheryl: Well, yes. Inaudible. Obviously…
Male: California is part of Asia Pacific, I guess. Pacific, anyway.
Cheryl: Overtalking 00:39:10. Look. The fact that we are assured that we will be on the rotation in the beginning of 2008 simply means that what has now turned out to be a rather longish process through no fault of our own is getting the inaudible signatures getting put on the MOU. At least it’s seen as a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. We would be… have been delighted to gather to do it by the close of 2007 inaudible the meetings, but I think secretariat is, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s nothing much we can do about it and so we will move forward and get our work plans going as if nothing had changed.
Siavash?: Just to add, it perhaps relates to the later reporting of the regional activities. There is a proposal to have an Asia Pacific ALS meeting in the end of July, which is not finalized yet. There are certain pros and cons.
Jacqueline: Okay.
Cheryl: That’s more of an internal ALAC, an internal AP RALO, than extending to the ALAC as such.
Jacqueline: Okay.
Siavash?: It’s a plan B. Well, plan C.
Cheryl: Yes, so whatever other letter we end up being forced into.
Jacqueline: Anything else on the Board report?
Hong: Well, I was wondering. Vittorio is there something you would think makes sense to address in a Board meeting? What do you think are important issues at San Juan? Something you could, you know…
Wendy: I don’t think Vittorio is on the phone.
Female: No, he’s not here.
Hong: He’s not?
Jacqueline: Wendy, you were going to… you had something?
Hong: But he was in the beginning, wasn’t he?
Wendy: No, I haven’t heard him.
Hong: Oh.
Jacqueline: You wanted to say something.
Wendy: Yes, he said that my and Patrick’s blog posts on the RALO elections spawned some discussion on how well ALAC is doing. And I wanted to get further detail on that and to be offered opportunities to join further in that discussion.
Nick: I have noted, by the way, that you’ve… for the summary minutes… that you’ve asked for this, Wendy.
Wendy: Thanks.
Jacqueline: Okay. WHOIS. Any activity on WHOIS, Wendy?
Wendy: The three sub-working groups of the Working Group have concluded their work, and merged back into the main Working Group. I am sceptical that there will ever be progress on WHOIS, period. Inaudible 00:42:06.
Female: Why?
Wendy: Because it’s very clear that there are some who like the status quo, and those have enough political power to stall any change from the status quo, so…
Jacqueline: Is there anything that we would like to do to try and push that?
Wendy: Other than getting up in arms about the way the whole process works, a specific proposal that I have made for the general ICANN policy process is that policies, even consensus policies, should have their own sunsets. Where a consensus around existing policy has to be reconfirmed, rather than something that once achieved consensus lasting forever because nobody can reach a consensus to change it.
Jacqueline: So is there anything, any action that lobbying or protesting or walking with placards outside the General Assembly overtalking 00:43:18 could do to get them to listen to us.
Wendy: Everyone should try to register for the San Juan meeting as Ann Onymous or Andrew Onymous and see how far we get. That stunt had more political impact than hours of participation on teleconferences ever has. I recommend many A. N. Onymous badges.
Sebastien?: Well, I think the real sort of cause of this is the structure and the process of the GNSO itself, and now it’s under review. And so, unless… until we have sort of structural change, I think we wouldn’t get out of this standoff or frozen inaudible 00:44:12.
Jacqueline: Okay.
Wendy: Yes, so I suppose we can also push for adoption of the GNSO reform. Yeah right.
Jacqueline: Okay. Anything on… Any discussion on IDNs? Anybody has any thoughts on overtalking.
Siavash: Can I add something… yes. I can add a little bit to what I said about the ccNSO. The two largest groups of ccTLDs, Centre and AP TLD, have put out similar proclamations, if you want, about IDNs. They both said the following. One is, ask ITN to let each ccTLD come up with one candidate for IDN dot IDN, in other words, IDN to be put into root. And that’s the first proposal. The second is that this be put up for a six month comment period. If somebody, some government or anybody else, objects to this particular choice, they would let it be known within six months and then after that these would be put into the root. As, you know, the first experiment or the first step.
Nick: So, sorry Siavash, you’re saying that the six month comment period would apply to the IDN dot IDN string?
Siavash: Yes, the one that each ccTLD selects. You know, each ccTLD is allowed to select one, just one, string, and then this is put up for comment. If somebody objects to that, for serious reasons, that could be taken away. But if there’s no serious objection then that would be put into the root after six months.
Hong: But Siavash, oh sorry, is this only for…
Siavash: This is just a proposal.
Hong: Well, this is only for ccTLDs, right? It’s not…
Siavash: Yes, this is just for ccTLDs. But of course what they’re saying is they’re more or less in a line with the GNSO proposal, in other words. The proposal, the one straight 00:46:33 proposal, should conform to the guidelines of GNSO.
Hong: I think…
Siavash: They just want to get this thing started.
Jacqueline: So basically, they’re trying to push it to go ahead, and say, “Listen, let’s just pick one, let people have six months to object, and if not let’s just go ahead.”
Hong: But I really have a question for Vittorio. I want to know what is the timetable for the side of Board for this IDN test? It’s a three stage test. But this is the third stage now, this open test at root inaudible 00:47:11 level. They just published the rules or procedures for the test, for public comment. But there’s no timetable for the open test. I don’t…
Siavash: I guess people are hoping that by pushing, some timetable will develop or something.
Jacqueline: Okay. Nick can you make a note to ask Vittorio that as well.
Nick: Yes, I will do. And on this subject, just so you know, I am trying to get together as much At-Large friendly IDN information as possible. For San Juan. There is a considerable amount more information posted at the Wiki now…
Female: Right.
Nick: …but we are still looking at some really important things like “IDN for Dummies,” as Hong and I have taken to calling it. I think Hong coined the phrase.