The Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Thursday named a number of new
members to its membership advisory committee.
ICANN is the non-profit group begun by the late Jon Postel and the Internet
Assigned Numbers Authority. It is scheduled to take over the domain naming
system from Network Solutions, which
currently operates it under an exclusive contract from the U.S. government.
Thursday’s released membership list includes:
Izumi Aizu of Malaysia/Japan; Diane Cabell and George Conrades of the
United States; Greg Crew, Australia; Paval Duggal, India; Kanchana
Kanchanasut, Thailand; Daniel Kaplan, France; Siegfried Langenbach,
Germany; Nii Quaynor, Ghana; Oscar Robles Garay, Mexico; Dan Steinberg,
Canada; Tadeo Takahashi, Brazil and non-voting member Jonathan Zittrain, U.S.
ICANN said more than 80 people applied for the membership positions. ICANN Interim Chairman Esther Dyson said the group reflected the Internet’s geographic diversity and also incorporates various interests and perspectives.
“The board appreciates the willingness of so many people to participate in
this important activity and encourages all to continue to participate as a
key source of feedback and expertise for the committee.”
The committee is scheduled to begin work immediately to advise the ICANN
board concerning the development of an at-large membership structure. The
committee is slated to report its findings at the next ICANN meeting which
will be held in Singapore, March 2-4, 1999.
The committee is expected to define work plans and methods and determine
how to implement public feedback in its development, including that of
ICANN volunteers. Also working on membership issues in conjunction with the
committee is the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard
Law School.
ICANN has not been without controversy. Internet advocate groups such as
the Boston Working Group and the Open Root Server Confederation have
criticized ICANN’s efforts in the past, specifically targeting the makeup
of ICANN’s board. Charges leveled claimed board members were not
geographically representative of the international community.
Following input in November from both the public and the government,
including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration,
ICANN drafted a series of revised bylaws to soothe critics.
