ICANN Structural Overview (as of 7-16-99)

A Structural Overview

Formed in November 1998, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit, private sector corporation that coordinates a select set of the Internet’s technical management functions currently performed by the U.S. Government or its contractors and volunteers. Between now and September 2000, ICANN will be gradually assuming responsibility for coordinating the assignment of protocol parameters, the management of the domain name system, the allocation of IP address space, and the management of the root server system.

The Overall Structure:

ICANN is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and managed by a board of directors. ICANN's structure will consist of a broad At-Large Membership of individuals and several technical and policy advisory organizations drawn from all over the world.

The Board of Directors:

The interim chairman of the Initial Board is Esther Dyson, the chairman of EDventure Holdings, which publishes the monthly Release 1.0 newsletter and sponsors the annual PC Forum and High-Tech Forum in Europe. The other directors have been drawn from six nations, and from business, academic, technical, and non-commercial leadership positions from around the world.

After the start-up phase, ICANN’s Board of Directors will consist of 19 directors. The board will be comprised as follows:

Nine At-Large Directors chosen by the individual members of ICANN;
Nine directors representing the technical- and policy-oriented Supporting Organizations (each electing three directors):
- Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO),
- Address Supporting Organization (ASO),
- Protocol Supporting Organization (PSO); and
The President and CEO of ICANN.

The Membership and Supporting Organizations:

The At-Large Membership of ICANN will be designed to be open and represent the broadest possible range of the Internet’s numerous communities worldwide. The precise criteria for membership and the rights and obligations of members are currently being formulated by the ICANN Board, in response to recommendation’s from ICANN's Membership Advisory Committee. The most important function of the At-Large members will be to elect successors to the current nine members of the Initial Board, all of whom must step down no later than September 2000.

The Supporting Organizations, on the other hand, have a specialised focus and separate membership. Specifically, they will cover the following areas:

The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) is concerned with the system of IP addresses, such as 128.9.128.127, that uniquely identify the Internet's networked computers;

The Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO) is concerned with the Domain Name System, which makes possible the easy-to-remember names commonly used to identify Internet locations and resources. The domain name system translates domain names (like www.house.gov) into the IP address numbers that have been assigned to specific computers;

The Protocol Supporting Organization (PSO) is concerned with the assignment of Internet protocol numbers, which facilitate the technical standards that let computers exchange information and manage communications over the Internet.

Each Supporting Organization has been working to organise itself and define its own rules, and to be truly representative of its unique, specialized constituencies – a process that involves substantial public comment and discussion. Once recognized by the Initial Board, each Supporting Organization has the right to name three directors and to serve as ICANN’s primary policy advisory body for its respective area of expertise.

ICANN Advisory Committees:

The ICANN Board has established four Advisory Committees.

Membership Advisory Committee

The Membership Advisory Committee (MAC) was charged with recommending to he ICANN Board of Directors a membership structure that will elect nine of the Board's 19 members. The MAC’s "Preliminary Recommendations and Draft Principles for Membership," which was presented to the ICANN Initial Board in Berlin, has been referred to ICANN staff for further consideration. The staff has been instructed to report back to the board before ICANN convenes its next meeting in Santiago, Chile this August.

The Membership Advisory Committee (MAC) was charged with recommending to the ICANN Board of Directors a membership structure that will elect nine of the Board's 19 members. The MAC’s "Preliminary Recommendations and Draft Principles for Membership," which was presented to the ICANN Initial Board in Berlin, has been referred to ICANN staff for further consideration. The staff has been instructed to report back to the board before ICANN convenes its next meeting in Santiago, Chile this August.

Governmental Advisory Committee

The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) is composed of appointed representatives of national governments, multi-national governmental organizations, and treaty organizations. Its function is to represent the concerns of governments to the ICANN Board of Directors. The GAC will operate as a forum for the discussion of governmental interests and concerns, including consumer interests. As an Advisory Committee, the GAC has no legal authority to act for or control ICANN, but will report its findings and recommendations to the ICANN Board.

Advisory Committee on Independent Review

The Advisory Committee on Independent Review (IRAC) is currently considering the creation of a structure for independent third party review of the decisions of the ICANN Board of Directors so that decisions of the board will be subject to independent scrutiny to ensure compliance with the ICANN Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation and, more generally, the limited technical mandate for which ICANN was created.

Root Server System Advisory Committee

The responsibility of the Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) is to advise the ICANN Board about the operation of the root name servers of the domain name system. The RSSAC considers and provides advice on the operational requirements of root name servers, including host hardware capacities, operating systems and name server software versions, network connectivity, and physical environment. The RSSAC is also examining and advising on the security aspects of the root name server system, and reviewing the number, location, and distribution of root name servers in light of the performance, robustness, and reliability of the overall system.