ICC Task Force on Internet and Telecom Infrastructure and Services (ITIS) Final comments on ICANN“Affirmation-reviews”
Publication date : 03/02/2010
ICC, the International Chamber of Commerce, is a global business membership organization, with companies and associations from supply and buy sides, across sectors and geographies, and of all sizes. ICC’s Internet and Telecoms Infrastructure and Services task force (ITIS) is pleased to submit informal comments on the draft ICANN proposal on “Affirmation reviews”.
These review teams, required to be established by the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), are key components of ICANN’s evolution and independence. Given the important role these reviews have, ICC members believe that putting in place appropriate, fair and balanced processes and requirements for them is critical to the organization’s responsibilities and to the community.
At the same time, however, ICC urges ICANN not to simply treat the Affirmation reviews as a routine review of its business-as-usual operations. The AoC included a number of specific transparency and accountability requirements, which have yet to be implemented by ICANN. In order to facilitate a meaningful review process, ICANN should concurrently initiate a process with full community input on the substance of the AoC obligations and the process by which these obligations will be assessed and fulfilled.