Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
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At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)
ICANN's At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is responsible for considering and providing advice on the activities of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users (the "At-Large" community). ICANN, as a private sector, non-profit corporation with technical management responsibilities for the Internet's domain name and address system, relies on the ALAC and the broader At-Large community to involve and represent in ICANN a broad set of individual Internet user interests.
On 31 October 2002, the ICANN Board adopted New Bylaws that establish the ALAC and authorized its supporting At-Large organizations. (Article XI, Section 2(4) of the New Bylaws.) The New Bylaws, which are the result of ICANN's 2002 reform process, went into effect on 15 December 2002. They called for the ALAC to eventually consist of ten members selected by Regional At-Large Organizations, supplemented by five members selected by ICANN's Nominating Committee. To allow the ALAC to begin functioning immediately, the Transition Article of the Interim Bylaws provides for the Board to appoint ten members (two from each of ICANN's five regions) to an Interim ALAC.
On June 29, 2007, the last Interim ALAC member was replaced by elected representatives and the Interim ALAC therefore became the full ALAC.
Underpinning the ALAC is a network of self-organizing, self- supporting At-Large Structures throughout the world involving individual Internet users at the local or issue level. The At-Large Structures (either existing organizations or newly formed for this purpose) have self-organised into five Regional At-Large Organizations (one in each ICANN region – Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and North America). The Regional At- Large Organizations are managing outreach and public involvement and are the main forum and coordination point in each region for public input to ICANN.
Members of the ALAC
1Members appointed by the ICANN Board; to be replaced when Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs) are established in their respective regions and the RALOs elect their own members to the permanent At-Large Advisory Committee.
2Members appointed by the ICANN Nominating Committee; terms are staggered.
3Members elected by the LAC RALO, December 2006, for staggered terms.
4Members elected by the AFRALO, March 2007, for staggered terms.
5Members elected by the APRALO, March 2007, for staggered terms.
6Members elected by the EURALO, May 2007, for staggered terms.
7Members selected by the NARALO, June 2007, for staggered terms.
In addition to serving the advisory role provided by the ICANN Bylaws, the ALAC assists in the formation and qualification of At- Large Structures and Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs). The At- Large Structures and RALOs must meet requirements such as openness, participatory opportunities, transparency, accountability, and diversity in their structure and procedures.
The ALAC also appoints non-voting liaisons to the Generic Names Supporting Organization, which will be responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board policies relating to generic top- level domains, the ICANN Board, and several other organs of ICANN. It also selects five delegates to ICANN's Nominating Committee, which selects eight of the 15 voting members of the ICANN Board and also selects individuals to serve in other key positions.
Other activities undertaken by the ALAC and its supporting organizations include:
Information on ALAC and At-Large
Please check this page for periodic updates. For additional information on the ALAC or At-Large activities, contact staff@alac.icann.org.
The ALAC members conduct much of the committee's business on the ALAC's mailing list. Archives of this list are open to the public.