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23 July 1999
Esther Dyson
Chair
ICANN Interim Board
Dear Ms Dyson,
We have pleasure in submitting to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) the attached proposal relating to the formation of an ICANN Address Supporting Organization (ASO). This proposal is being submitted to ICANN by the existing Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), namely the American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), the Reseaux IP Europeens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC), and the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC).
The proposal is the outcome of consideration of the role of ICANN and the role of the ASO and the Address Council undertaken by the RIRs, their Boards or Executive Committees, and their membership at large, and also includes the incorporation of comment arising from a series of ICANN-sponsored public ASO discussion meetings through the past 12 months.
There are a number of aspects of this proposal that we would like to draw to ICANN's attention.
- The proposal does not include the incorporation of a separate entity for the ASO. The mechanism proposed to establish the ASO is by the means of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ICANN and the set of ICANN-approved RIRs. In this we are following the organisational structures adopted with the DNS Support Organization and the Protocol Support Organization.
- The proposal envisions the ability of ICANN to approve further RIRs in the future, and proposes that such bodies add their signature to the ASO-enabling MoU following ICANN's approval. An appendix to the proposal indicates a number of criteria that we consider to be integral to an adopted process of approving further RIRs.
- The proposal establishes an Address Council as the means by which the ASO will conduct its business, and proposes that each RIR signatory to the MoU be permitted to appoint 3 individuals to this council.
- The Address Council is responsible for the appointment of three Directors to the ICANN Board.
There are a number of salient features of this proposal that we would also like to draw to ICANN's attention.
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