ICANN Approves At-Large Framework; Will Increase Involvement Of Asia-Pacific's Internet User Community.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 15, 2003

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) recently launched organizing of the individual Internet user community (At-Large) for increasing global participation and representation in ICANN. Under a framework approved by ICANN's Board of Directors, local and regional groups may now form in Asia-Pacific to involve their members in critical issues that affect their use of the Internet's domain name system.

Direct user involvement will help ensure that ICANN takes actions that reflect individual Internet users' needs in Asia-Pacific on matters such as implementing internationalized domain names, introducing new domain names, and what safeguards are needed for personal information available in the WHOIS database (to name a few issues ICANN is working on).

Individuals in Asia-Pacific who have been active in the At-Large community and will be involved in organizing At-Large groups in Asia-Pacific are listed below. They are available to discuss why Asia-Pacific Internet user groups will become involved in ICANN, how ICANN affects Asia-Pacific users, and how users benefit from ICANN involvement:

-- Christopher To, [e-mail], in Hong Kong;

-- Li Hu, [e-mail], in China;

-- Toshifumi (Tommy) Matsumoto, [e-mail];

-- Izumi Aizu, [e-mail], both in Japan and members of the

ALAC.

ICANN's Interim At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) will now begin extensive outreach and education efforts to help interested groups and individuals in all regions of the world form "At-Large Structures." "At-Large Structures" will be groups throughout the world (either existing organizations or newly formed for this purpose) focusing on participation by individual Internet users at the local or issue level. Interested groups will complete and submit to the ALAC a short application form (available at http://alac.icann.org/). Groups that meet the minimum requirements, such as supporting individual Internet users' informed participation in ICANN, will be designated as "At-Large Structures."

When there are sufficient At-Large Structures in a geographic region (Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America), these groups can form a Regional At-Large Organization (RALO). The five RALOs will act as the main forum and coordination point in each region for public input to ICANN, and will select 10 members of the ALAC. The ALAC provides advice to ICANN's Board and other constituencies on the activities of ICANN that relate to the interests of individual Internet users.

ABOUT THE INTERIM AT-LARGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The ALAC is an Advisory Committee to ICANN's Board charged with providing advice on activities of ICANN that relate to the interests of individual Internet users, and helping to organize At-Large groups throughout the world for structured involvement and informed participation of the individual Internet user community. The Board appointed an Interim ALAC in January 2003, and ICANN's Nominating Committee added additional members in June.

Africa -- Pierre Dandjinou, Clement Dzidonu, Sunday Folayan; Asia -- Hong Xue, Izumi Aizu, Toshifumi Matsumoto; Latin America -- Sebastian Ricciardi, Erick Iriarte, Tadao Takahashi; Europe -- Vittorio Bertola, Thomas Roessler, Roberto Gaetano; and North America -- Esther Dyson, Wendy Seltzer, and Ken Hamma.

Biographies of these individuals, and information on the ALAC, can be found at http://alac.icann.org/. ALAC members can be reached at [e-mail].

ABOUT ICANN

ICANN is a non-profit organization responsible for coordinating the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, including the systems of domain names and numeric addresses that are used to reach all computers on the Internet. ICANN's mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of these unique identifier systems, which are vital to the Internet's operation. In addition, ICANN coordinates policy development related to these technical functions. For more information, see http://www.icann.org.