ICANN Committee Refines Governance Reform Proposal

Mondaq Business Briefing, June, 2002

On May 31, 2002, a special committee appointed by the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued its recommendations for reform of ICANN governance. The committee adopted some of the recommendations made by ICANN President Stuart Lynn in February, but rejected his proposal that governments be given seats on the ICANN board in lieu of voting by Internet users worldwide. Lynn's plan drew opposition from critics for proposing to eliminate the at-large positions which were intended to give the world's 500 million users a direct voice in ICANN.

The committee's plan, like Lynn's, assigns seven seats on the ICANN board to the heads of organizations representing domain name sellers, security experts, government delegates, and other...