Chair's Report to Council 28/07/00

REPORT OF THE CHAIR

28 July 2000

Councillors,

It has been only three weeks since the last meeting.

In that period, the following items of interest have occupied the chair:

Domainz

1. A personal email and a formal letter was sent to the three remaining directors, removing them from office as of midnight, 10 July 2000. I have had a letter of inquiry from Jim Higgins in reply, and am awaiting a chance to talk to him about that.
2. The AGM was held on the 10 July. Because I was departing that evening for Japan, I was unable to attend, but gather that it was a quiet but productive meeting.
3. I have had informal discussions with two of the three new directors who attended the first meeting of the new Board. I gather things have begun reasonably smoothly. It is vital that there be clear guidance given by the Council, and support for the actions of the directors in aligning the interests and expectations of the company with its shareholder. I look forward to receiving, at this meeting, the directors' report.
4. I am also glad that a disruption to our funding seems likely to be avoided.

   ICANN Meetings

5. This was a series of meetings, attended on your behalf by Sue and me. They are the subject of separate reports. Suffice to say here that the ccTLD relationship with ICANN and the GAC is now at its most critical phase. At issue is the authority for running .nz. Is it a gift from John Postel, a licence from, and terminable by, the US Government, an extension of the sovereign power of the New Zealand Government, or an asset of the .nz community? And if we pay ICANN for anything, how much should it be? And why?
6. Resolution of this issue is essential for ISOCNZ, and for the future of ICANN.
7. Japan is an expensive place to conduct this type of business, but I believe the work done by Sue and me was worthwhile. Sue established herself as a rational and helpful contributor on a range of issues, and is perceived as a great asset to .nz. Others are attempting to find ways to use her services.
8. I was elected Senior Vice Chair of Asia Pacific TLD Association, primarily to assist with the development of that organisation with the ccLTD constituency. There will be a range of APTLD related activity over the next few months. The multilingual domain name issue is likely to occupy some time. We may also consider applying to host the APTLD secretariat. Applications will be called for soon.
9. ccTLD issues will certainly occupy a lot of time before the November meetings in Los Angeles.

   Code of Practice

10. I have signed this on ISOCNZ's behalf. There needs to be some tidying up of the drafting, and a big push to get more ISPs and registrars signed up.

    Email Tapping

11. there has been considerable media interest in our position, following the Minister's announcement. Much more detail is required, and I shall be establishing a working group to take part. I would like to be able to offer the considerable technical expertise in the Society to the Minister, which would allow us to be kept informed of progress, and facilitate input into the policy process. It is important there be balanced development of cyber law, and that there be no threat to hard-won civil liberties.

    Council Committees

12. I have been spending time on re-forming the Council Committees, talking to as many Councillors as possible, to take into account their preferences and skills, in the light of Council's needs. This forms the subject of a later report.

Peter Dengate Thrush
Chair
ISOCNZ

© 2000 The Internet Society of New Zealand
Last updated 2 August 2000