ICANN 82 Day 1: Fellowship, Policy, and Engagement Highlights

By Rolla Hassan, Ph.D

Attending the first day of ICANN 82 as a fellow provided a comprehensive understanding of ICANN’s structure, policy development processes, and pathways for community engagement. The sessions covered various topics, from stakeholder collaboration to technical research and policy development. 

Meet the North America Team 

This session introduced key stakeholders, including Naela Sarras (VP of Stakeholder Engagement), Joe Catapano (Global Academia Director), and Alex Dans (Communications Director). The discussion emphasized the importance of engagement through various communication channels. Attendees were encouraged to follow #ICANN82 on social media, subscribe to the regional newsletter, and participate in ICANN’s multilingual platforms to stay updated and involved.

IROS (Identifier Research, Operations & Security)

IROS integrates the Office of the CTO (OCTO) and Technical Engagement (TE) teams, both playing vital roles in ICANN’s technical landscape.

• OCTO focuses on technical research, DNS health metrics (such as Identifier Technology Health Indicators), and publishing the OCTO Document Series, which currently includes over 41 technical papers.
• TE leads regional capacity-building programs, including DNSSEC training, and collaborates with global technical communities. Initiatives like KINDNS promote security best practices.
• SSR Research plays a critical role in DNS abuse prediction, blockchain domain analysis, and tracking the uptime of malicious domains to enhance cybersecurity resilience.

At-Large Community & ALAC

The At-Large Community represents individual Internet users globally through 267 At-Large Structures (ALSes) and 230 Unaffiliated Individual Members (UIMs) across 113 countries. The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) comprises 15 members who provide user-focused policy recommendations and appoint delegates to the NomCom and ICANN Board (Seat 15).

Opportunities for community participation include Fellowships, NextGen@ICANN, and engagement in working groups such as CPWG or ALAC Subcommittees, offering individuals an avenue to influence ICANN’s policy decisions.

ccNSO (Country Code Names Supporting Organization)

Representing 179 ccTLD managers (e.g., .uk, .br) across five regions, the ccNSO develops global policies for country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), covering aspects such as delegation and retirement.

Current initiatives include:

• ccPDP3, which reviews mechanisms for ccTLD delegation and revocation.
• ccPDP4, which defines criteria for IDN ccTLDs.

 IANA & PTI

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is operated by Public Technical Identifiers (PTI), an ICANN affiliate responsible for managing critical Internet identifiers, including domain names, IP addresses, and protocol parameters.

The session covered the hierarchical delegation model for the DNS root zone, IP addresses, and Autonomous System (AS) numbers. To ensure accountability, IANA follows third-party audits, community oversight mechanisms, and transparency measures.

 Policy Development Processes

ICANN’s policy development processes (PDPs) were discussed across different stakeholder groups:

• GNSO PDP governs gTLD policies, with ongoing reviews such as the Transfer Policy Review and EPDP on IDNs.
• ccNSO PDP requires regional member approval before policies are adopted by the ICANN Board.
• ASO PDP focuses on IP address policies in collaboration with Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).

 Conclusion

Day 1 of ICANN 82 emphasized the organization’s commitment to inclusive governance, technical resilience, and global participation. From policy development in Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees (SOs/ACs) to hands-on training provided by IROS, participants are equipped with the tools to contribute to the Internet’s future.

For those looking to engage further, options include public commenting, joining working groups, or taking on leadership roles. ICANN’s multi-stakeholder model thrives on diverse voices—your participation matters in shaping the evolving digital ecosystem.

 Stay tuned for Day 2 insights!