The Address Council of the Address Supporting Organization operates pursuant to Section 4 of the ICANN Address Supporting Organization (ASO) Memorandum of Understanding. This document sets forth the operating procedures of the Address Council.

•  “Address Council” means the Address Council of the Address Supporting Organization, which consists of the members of the NRO Number Council.
•  “ASO” means the Address Supporting Organization, comprising the NRO EC and the NRO Number Council.
• “ASO MoU” means the ICANN Address Supporting Organization (ASO) MoU.
•  “ASO Website” means the official website of the ASO at aso.icann.org or a successor address.
•  “Certification Letter” is defined in Section 9.3.
•  “Chair” means the chairperson of the Address Council.
•  “Director” means a member of the ICANN Board.
•  “General Selection Procedure” means the ICANN Board member selection procedure set forth in Section 9.4.
•  “Global Policy” means a global Internet number resource policy, as defined in Section 6 of the ASO MoU.
•  “ICP-2” means the ICP-2: Criteria for Establishment of New Regional Internet Registries document, as accepted by the ICANN Board on 4 June 2001, or any successor to that document.
•  “Internal Mailing List” means the mailing list used for non-public discussions between Address Council members at ac-internal@aso.icann.org or a successor alias.
•  “IC” means the Interview Committee, as defined in Section 9.4.6.1.
•  “ICANN” means the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
•  “ICANN Board” means the ICANN Board of Directors.
•  “Non-Representative Appointee” means a person the Address Council has appointed or recommended to serve on an external body who does not serve on that body as a representative of the Address Council. For the avoidance of doubt, ASO-appointed members of the ICANN Board are Non-Representative Appointees.
•  “NRO” means the Number Resource Organization, comprising the NRO EC and the NRO Number Council.
•  “NRO EC” means the Number Resource Organization Executive Council.
•  “NRO MoU” means the NRO Memorandum of Understanding.
•  “NRO Number Council” means the Number Resource Organization Number Council, as described in the NRO MoU.
•  “Operating Procedures” means the operating procedures set forth in this document.
•  “QRC” means the Qualification Review Committee, as defined in Section 9.4.2.
•  “Representative Appointee” means a person the Address Council has appointed to serve on an external body who serves on that body as a representative of the Address Council.
•  “RIR” means a regional internet registry.
•  “PPFT” means the Policy Proposal Facilitator Team, as defined in Section 6.3.
•  “Public Mailing List” means a mailing list used for public discussions between Address Council members at ac-discuss@aso.icann.org or a successor alias.
•  “Secretariat” means the Secretary NRO Secretariat, as defined in the NRO MoU.
•  “Vice Chair” means a vice chairperson of the Address Counsel.

All references to members of the Address Council in these Operating Procedures shall mean persons who have been duly elected or appointed to the NRO NC to serve on the Address Council by an RIR or an RIR community, as applicable, who have not vacated or been removed from their seats, and whose terms have not expired. All references to “days” shall mean calendar days.

2. Objective

The Address Council was established to perform the following tasks:

• Undertake a role in the Global Policy development process, as described in Attachment A of the ASO MoU
• Provide recommendations to the ICANN Board concerning the recognition of new RIRs, according to agreed requirements and policies as currently described in ICP-2.
• Define procedures for selecting individuals to serve on other ICANN bodies, including the ICANN Board, and perform any roles assigned to the Address Council in such procedures.
• Advise the ICANN Board on number resource allocation policy, in conjunction with the RIRs.
• Develop procedures for conducting business in support of the Address Council’s responsibilities, including appointing an Address Council Chair and defining the Chair’s responsibilities. The ASO MoU requires all such procedures to be submitted to the NRO EC for approval.

3. Members

The composition of the Address Council is prescribed in the ASO MoU and the NRO MoU.

4. Officers

The Address Council shall elect officers as provided in this Section.

4.1. Number

  The officers of the Address Council shall include a Chair, two Vice Chairs, and such other officers as the NRO EC may determine.

4.2. Duties of the Address Council Chair

The Chair shall perform the following duties:

• Lead the Address Council in carrying out its established functions and ensure that it follows these Operating Procedures.
• Ensure that the Address Council establishes an approved work plan for each year and oversee the implementation of the same.
• Appoint Address Council members to various committees and ensure that appointees carry out their assigned duties.
• Liaise with the NRO EC as appropriate.
• Liaise with ICANN and other bodies within ICANN as appropriate.
• Help ensure a consistent understanding of the scope and role of the Address Council

4.3. Duties of Vice Chairs

Vice Chairs are appointed by the Chair. Vice Chairs shall support the Chair and may be requested by the Chair to act on the Chair’s behalf in presentations, meetings, or other fora.

During extraordinary circumstances where the Chair is unable to fulfil the role, the Vice Chairs may appoint one of the Vice Chairs to temporarily act in the Chair’s capacity.

4.4. Procedure for Election of ASO AC Chair and Vice Chairs

4.4.1. Chair and Vice-chair Term Limits

The term of service for the Chair and Vice Chairs shall be one year, provided that each term shall extend through the first meeting of the new year if a new Chair has not yet been selected. The Chair may not serve as Chair for one year after completing five consecutive one-year terms. The Chair may not serve as a Vice Chair for one year after completing one or more terms as Chair. A Vice Chair may not serve as Vice Chair for one year after completing five consecutive one-year terms. Fractional terms of 6 months or longer will be counted as a full one-year term.

4.4.2. Election of Chair

A person who is or will be a member of the Address Council in a particular year is eligible to become Chair in that year subject to the term limits set forth in Section 4.4.1, notwithstanding the fact that the procedure for electing the Chair begins during the preceding year.

4.4.3. Appointment of Vice Chairs

The newly elected Chair shall appoint two Address Council members to serve as Vice Chairs. The Chair and Vice Chairs must each be from a different region. A Vice Chair must accept the appointment to be appointed.

4.4.4. Election Procedure for Chair

The Secretariat shall oversee the election of the Chair. Nominations shall be posted to the Internal Mailing List no earlier than 00:00 UTC on 1 December and no later than 24:00 UTC on 14 December of the preceding year. Any member of the Address Council may nominate any other member for the position. Self-nominations are allowed. Nominations must be seconded by another member. A nominated candidate must accept the nomination by posting to the Internal Mailing List no later than 31 December at 24:00 UTC.

At its December meeting, the Address Council shall establish the day and time of a vote to elect the Chair, which shall be conducted using the ballot process in Section 7.2.

4.4.5. Casual Vacancy

If the Chair resigns or is removed from the Address Council, the Vice Chairs shall designate one of them to serve as the acting Chair within 7 days. If the Vice Chairs cannot agree, the acting Chair shall be decided by lot between the Vice Chairs within 7 days. An election to fill the position of the Chair for the remaining term shall be completed within 30 days after the casual vacancy occurred and shall be conducted using the ballot process in Section 7.2.

5. Meetings

5.1. Regular Meetings

The Address Council shall meet at least 4 times annually to conduct business.

5.1.1. Schedule

The Address Council shall each year establish a schedule of dates and times for its regular meetings for the year. This schedule shall include the following meetings:

5.1.1.1. Election of Address Council Officers

The Address Council shall meet within the month of January each year to elect officers. This meeting shall not be required if the Address Council establishes a procedure to elect officers by some other method.

5.1.1.2. Activity Review

The Address Council shall meet within the month of December each year to review the activity of the Address Council for the soon-to-be-completed year and to orient new members to the Address Council.

5.1.2. Notice

The Secretariat shall notify all Members by email no later than 10 business days before the scheduled time of each regular meeting. All Address Council members are expected to respond to the notice

5.2. Quorum.

A majority of Address Council members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If such a majority is not in attendance at a meeting of the Address Council, the meeting may be postponed to occur no earlier than 7 days and no later than 14 days after the originally scheduled meeting. Provided that all Address Council members have been notified of the postponed meeting at least 7 days in advance, the Address Council may meet at the postponed meeting, and the members in attendance at the postponed meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business within the postponed meeting only.

5.3. Special Meetings.

Special meetings of the Address Council may be called for any purpose at any time by the Chair or by one third of the Members. Notice of any special meeting shall state the purpose of the meeting and shall be made no later than 7 days before the meeting.

5.4. Posting of Minutes.

Following a meeting, the Secretariat shall send draft minutes of the meeting in a timely fashion to the Address Council for comment. The comment period will last no longer than 1 week. After the review period, the Secretariat shall post the draft minutes to the ASO Website with a header explaining that the minutes will be approved during the next regularly scheduled Address Council meeting.

5.5. Types of Meetings

Meetings of the Address Council may be held in person, via teleconference, or via video conference. The Address Council shall meet in person at least once per year at the ICANN Community Forum or at another suitable venue. The Address Council may waive the foregoing in-person requirement if approved by the NRO EC.

All Address Council meetings, whether in-person or via tele/video conference, shall start with an open session followed by a closed session (if required). Non-member observers may attend the open session, but they may speak only at the discretion of the Address Council. ICANN Board members, ICANN support staff, RIR staff, and individuals invited by the Chair may speak as required. Where possible and practical, in-person meetings shall include a mechanism for individuals to participate remotely.

Meeting details, including the draft agenda, will be published on the ASO Website and will be announced before meetings on the Public Mailing List.

Discussions about selecting individuals to the ICANN Board shall take place during closed sessions

6. Global Policy Development

6.1. Authority

Under the provisions of Article IX of the ICANN Bylaws, the ASO is responsible for advising the ICANN Board with respect to policy issues relating to the operation, assignment, and management of Internet addresses. The ASO MoU assigns this task to the Address Council.

6.2. Overview

The Address Council shall participate in the policy development process for Global Policies, as described in Attachment A of the ASO MoU and as further described below.

6.3. Global Policy Proposal Facilitators

At the beginning of each term, the Address Council shall establish at least one Policy Proposal Facilitator Team (PPFT). Where possible, the PPFT shall consist of one Address Council member from each region. Otherwise, the PPFT may consist of five members, provided that no more than two PPFT members may come from the same region. The Address Council may establish additional teams, as necessary, at any time. The members of the PPFT will be responsible for the actions described in the procedures below.

6.4. Introductory Phase

A Global Policy may be introduced in one of three ways:

• RIR Policy Forum: The proposal is introduced in an RIR policy forum in accordance with the RIR’s policy development process.
• Address Council: The proposal is submitted directly to the Address Council for consideration as a Global Policy
• ICANN: The ICANN Board asks the Address Council to draft a Global Policy development proposal.

6.4.1. Submissions to RIR Policy Fora

Within ten (10) days of the introduction of a global policy proposal in a particular region, the PPFT member of that region will notify the Chair of the Address Council of the introduction of the proposal. The Chair of the Address Council will notify the council of the proposal and will place the policy proposal on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Address Council as an information item. At this meeting the Address Council will examine the proposal to determine if it meets the definition of a global policy. If it does not then the PPFT member of the particular region will notify the appropriate RIR that the policy proposal that it does not meet the criteria of a policy proposal. The Address Council will take no further action. If on the other hand the proposal meets the criteria of a global policy proposal then the PPFT will within ten (10) days of the completion of the determination request to their respective RIR that the policy proposal be placed in the policy forum for their region for processing in accordance with the regional policy development process.

6.4.2. Submissions to the Address Council

Within 10 days after a Global Policy has been proposed to the Address Council, the Chair will notify the Address Council of the proposal and place the proposal on the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting as an information item. At this meeting, the Address Council will examine the proposal to determine whether it meets the definition of a Global Policy. If it does not qualify as a Global Policy proposal, then the Chair will notify the proposal author accordingly, and the Address Council will take no further action. If the proposal qualifies as a Global Policy proposal, then within 10 days after so determining, the PPFT will ask each RIR to introduce the policy proposal in its policy forum for processing in accordance with its regional policy development process.

6.4.3. Requests from the ICANN Board

The ICANN Board may ask the Address Council to initiate a Global Policy proposal. Any such request must explain why ICANN believes a new Global Policy is necessary. If the requested policy qualifies as a Global Policy, the PPFT will work with ICANN staff to draft a proposal and will submit the proposal to the ICANN Board for feedback. Once the language of the proposal is mutually acceptable to the ICANN Board and the Address Council, the PPFT will ask each RIR to introduce the policy proposal in its policy forum for processing in accordance with its regional policy development process..

6.5. RIR Discussion Phase

The author of a Global Policy proposal is expected to participate in discussions about the proposal in each regional forum. Each RIR will work with the author as provided for in its policy development process. The Chair will notify the chairs of each of the other ICANN Supporting Organizations and the chairs of the ICANN Advisory Committees that a Global Policy proposal is being discussed in the RIR policy fora and encourage them to participate in the RIR policy fora discussions. The PPFT will monitor the progress of the proposal and will report on this progress at each meeting of the Address Council until such time as the proposal is rejected or remanded to the Address Council for ratification. If some of the RIRs have ratified different versions of the proposal, the Address Council will assist the RIRs in reconciling the language across all RIRs.

6.6. Ratification Phase

If each RIR ratifies the proposal, the NRO EC will transmit the final Global Policy proposal to the Address Council. A Global Policy proposal is finalized once it has been ratified by each RIR through its policy development process and any language reconciliation has been completed. The Ratification Phase consists of the Address Council Review Segment set forth in Section 6.6.1 and the ICANN Board Ratification Segment set forth in Section 6.6.2.

6.6.1. Address Council Review Segment

Once the NRO EC transmits a final Global Policy proposal to the Address Council for ratification, it will establish a calendar start time. Within 60 days after the NRO EC has transmitted a final Global Policy proposal to the Address Council, the Address Council will conduct a final review of the proposal. The Address Council will produce a report stating whether the policy development process of each RIR was followed and, if applicable, detailing any process failures. Once the Address Council has finished reviewing the proposal, it will vote pursuant to Section 7.2 to take one of the following actions:

• Send it to ICANN for ratification as a Global Policy;
• Advise the NRO EC that the Address Council has concerns and that the proposal requires further review within the policy development process; or
• Ask the NRO EC for additional time to review the proposal.

6.6.1.1. Submission to ICANN

If the Address Council determines that the policy proposal has met the necessary requirements, the Chair will transmit the proposal to the ICANN Secretary to be submitted to the ICANN Board for ratification along with an expected period for the ICANN Board to act. The minutes of the Address Council meeting authorizing the Chair to transmit the proposal to ICANN will note the expected calendar start time of the ICANN Board Ratification period, which shall begin once the ICANN Secretary acknowledges the Chair’s submission.

6.6.1.2. Process Concerns

If the Address Council has concerns regarding whether each region’s policy development process was followed, the Chair will so notify the chair of the NRO EC and, if appropriate, request that the proposal be returned to the regional policy development fora for further consideration.

6.6.1.3. Time Extension

If the Address Council determines that it cannot review the proposal within the prescribed time, the Chair will so notify the chair of the NRO EC and will request additional time to review the proposal.

6.6.2. ICANN Review and Ratification

6.6.2.1. ICANN Board Actions

The ICANN Board may review the proposal, ask questions, or otherwise consult with the Address Council or the RIRs acting collectively through the NRO. The ICANN Board may also consult with other parties as it considers appropriate. Within 60 days after receiving the proposed policy, the ICANN Board will take one of the following actions:

• Accept the proposal by a simple majority vote;
• Reject the proposal by a supermajority (2/3) vote;
• By a simple majority vote, request changes to the proposed policy; or
• Take no action, in which case the policy will be deemed ratified as it was presented to ICANN.

6.6.2.2. ICANN Board Acceptance and Ratification

If the ICANN Board accepts the proposal, it will so notify the Address Council. The Chair will so notify the chair of the NRO EC. The NRO EC will notify the RIRs, which will each implement the policy.

6.6.2.3. ICANN Board Rejection

If the ICANN Board rejects a proposal, it will provide the Address Council with its specific concerns regarding the proposal. The Address Council will work with the NRO EC to examine the concerns and try to resolve them with the ICANN Board. If ICANN’s concerns cannot be addressed without changing the substance of the proposal, the proposal will be returned to the RIR policy development fora along with ICANN’s comments. The Address Council will then await a re-transmittal of the proposal by the NRO EC.

6.6.2.4. ICANN Board Change Request

If the ICANN Board requests changes to the policy language, the Address Council will forward the request to the NRO EC. The NRO EC will consult with the RIRs about ICANN’s proposed changes. If any RIR objects to the proposed language change, then the proposal will be returned to the RIR’s policy development process forum, and the Address Council will await a re-transmittal of the proposal by the NRO EC. If all the RIRs accept the proposed changes, the NRO EC will so notify the Address Council, which will restart the process in Section 6.6.1.

6.6.2.5. Notice of Rejection

If the ICANN Board rejects a proposal, the Address Council will so notify the NRO EC, which may take any action contemplated by the ASO MoU.

7. Voting

7.1. Voting Methods

Except as specified otherwise in these Operating Procedures, the Address Council may vote on internal matters during meetings by voice, show of hands, or other suitable method. The Address Council may decide by motion to require that a vote on any internal matter be conducted using the ballot process in Section 7.2. Internal matters are matters pertaining solely to the inner workings of the Address Council and include establishing meeting times, selecting meeting locations, approving motions, or similar matters.

The Address Council shall vote on external matters using the ballot process in Section 7.2. External matters are matters that have external-facing consequences with respect to internet governance and include appointing members to any bodies and developing Global Policy.

7.2. Ballot Process

The Address Council shall follow the process in this Section 7.2 when voting by ballot. In the case of appointments, voting shall be anonymous, vote counts shall remain internal to the ASO, and only the final decision as to whether a candidate has been successful shall be reported externally. In all other voting matters, each member’s vote shall be recorded in the Address Council’s public minutes. If the ballot process is used to vote on options other than human candidates, such options shall be considered “candidates” for purposes of this Section 7.2.

7.2.1. Electronic Voting

A ballot vote shall be conducted electronically using a suitable web-based voting system chosen by the Secretariat. Once a vote has been cast, it may not be changed during the same ballot.

7.2.2. Voting Window

Unless otherwise specified, all members of the Address Council will have 7 days to cast their votes in any ballot. Unless specified otherwise, a ballot vote will end 7 days after it began or after all Address Council members have voted, whichever occurs earlier. If fewer than half of Address Council members have voted by the time the voting window closes, the vote will automatically be canceled.

7.2.3. Ranked Choice Instant Runoff

If a ballot includes multiple candidates, each member of the Address Council shall rank the candidates in order of preference. A member may decline to rank any candidate. If, after voting has closed, a single candidate has received first-choice votes from an absolute majority of the voting members, that candidate shall be declared the winner. If no candidate has received such an absolute majority, the candidate who received the fewest number of first-choice votes shall be dropped, and any first-choice votes cast for the dropped candidate shall automatically transfer to the next choice of each voter for whom the dropped candidate was their first choice. The foregoing process of counting votes, dropping candidates, and transferring votes from dropped candidates shall be repeated until a single candidate has accumulated first-choice votes from an absolute majority of the voting members.

7.2.4. Ties

If more than one candidate has received the fewest number of first-choice votes in a given round, the Address Council shall decide which candidate to drop by drawing lots. If the final round in Section 7.2.3 results in a tie, the Address Council shall hold a special meeting within 7 days after the results are announced. Within 3 days following the special meeting, the Chair shall open a new vote by ballot on the remaining candidates pursuant to Section 7.2, except that the voting window shall be 3 days.

If the second ballot results in a tie, the process set forth in this Section 7.2.4 shall repeat for a third ballot on the tied candidates. If the third ballot results in a tie, the Chair shall report a stalemate to the NRO EC.

If the purpose of a ballot is only to vote to approve or reject a single proposal, then the proposal shall fail on a tied vote.

7.2.5. Multiple-Seat Elections

In the case of multiple-seat elections, the Address Council shall vote separately on each seat using the procedures set forth in this Section 7.2.

7.2.6. Abstentions

An abstention shall be counted as a vote for purposes of determining whether half of the Address Council members have voted under Section 7.2.2. However, an abstention shall not be counted among the total number of votes for purposes of determining whether a candidate has received a majority of the votes cast. For the avoidance of doubt, an abstention shall not be treated as a vote against any candidate. The number of abstentions shall be recorded in the minutes.

8. Appointments

The Address Council is responsible for appointing members to various positions on committees, working groups, task forces, or other bodies. This Section sets forth the procedures for appointing members to external bodies and the duties expected of appointees.

8.1. Appointment and Removal of Appointees

The Address Council shall vote to appoint members to external bodies using the ballot process in Section 7.2. The Address Council may remove any Representative Appointee by approving a proposal to do so by ballot vote under Section 7.2. The Address Council shall have no power to remove a Non-Representative Appointee.

8.2. Responsibilities of Representative Appointees

Representative Appointees are expected to provide regular updates to the Address Council on their work and the work of the bodies to which they have been appointed. Representative Appointees are expected to update the Address Council at least twice annually. Non-Representative Appointees may be invited to provide updates during Address Council meetings. Updates may also be provided via email. Non-Representative Appointees may be invited to attend Address Council meetings as observers, even if they do not provide updates within such meetings.

9. Selection of Individuals to the ICANN Board of Directors

9.1. Authority

Under Sections 7.2 and 9.2 of the ICANN Bylaws, the ASO is responsible for selecting persons to fill seats 9 and 10 of the ICANN Board.

9.2. Overview

The ICANN Bylaws establish the beginning of the terms of seats 9 and 10 of the ICANN Board. In those years when the term of one of these seats is to expire, the Address Council will establish a timeline in accordance with the General Selection Procedure in Section 9.4 to select a person to fill the projected vacancy. If a seat is vacated before its term expires, then the Address Council will follow the Extraordinary Selection Procedure in Section 9.5. In either case, the procedure will consist of four phases: nomination, comment, interview, and selection.

9.3. Eligibility Requirements

All candidates desiring to be selected to the ICANN Board by the Address Council must meet the selection criteria and conflict of interest requirements stated in the ICANN Bylaws and any other relevant documents that ICANN publishes or identifies. No candidate will be considered who does not sign a letter of certification attesting to compliance with ICANN’s stated requirements and to the candidate’s conduct and character (Certification Letter). The Certification Letter will be emailed to each candidate along with instructions for completing the letter. Any candidate who fails to follow these instructions will not be considered. The selected candidate will be subjected to a due diligence review process, as described in Section 9.4.9.

9.4. General Selection Procedure

The Address Council shall use the General Selection Procedure in this Section 9.4 to fill an ASO-designated seat whose term is set to expire. If an Address Council member accepts a nomination to be considered by the Address Counsel for a seat on the ICANN Board, that member shall not participate in any discussion or vote relating to the Address Council’s selection of Directors until the Address Council has selected its full complement of Directors.

9.4.1. Selection Process

The Address Council shall establish a timeline to select a candidate for the ICANN Board in accordance with ICANN’s requirements. The Address Council shall announce its timeline and procedures on the ASO Website, other websites, and email lists as determined by the Address Council. The Address Council shall also post notices at the beginning of each phase, as set forth below, and as agreed by the Address Council.

9.4.2. Qualification Review Committee

A Qualification Review Committee (QRC) will be established to create a slate of qualified candidates for the interview phase. This committee will consist of five members of the Address Council, provided that no more than two QRC members may come from the same region. Any Address Council member may observe the QRC’s proceedings.

9.4.3. Nomination Phase

The nomination phase shall last at least 60 days. The Secretariat shall announce the start of the nomination phase and state the deadline for presenting nominations on the ASO Website, other web sites, and email lists as appropriate. This announcement will direct interested parties to the ASO Website to view information about the selection process, candidate eligibility requirements, the responsibilities upon selection, and the application mechanism. Anyone may nominate any person. Nominations will be sent to the Secretariat, who will contact the nominee, notify them of their impending nomination, and provide them with a copy of the Certification Letter and a general questionnaire. The questionnaire will also secure written consent from the candidate to permit ICANN to conduct its due diligence review. The nominee will complete the Certification Letter and questionnaire and return them to the Secretariat. The Secretariat will forward them to the QRC.

9.4.4. Candidate Evaluation

The QRC will review nominee submissions for completeness and for compliance with the eligibility criteria and conflict of interest requirements. If it deems necessary, the QRC may ask for additional information from any nominee. The Address Council shall publish information about each nominee it determines to be a qualified candidate in a running list of candidates on the ASO Website. Nominees who do not complete the activities in Section 9.4.3 by the close of the nomination phase will not be considered as candidates. If there is not at least one more candidate than the number of open seats, the nomination period will be extended until such time as this number is obtained.

9.4.5.Comment Phase

The comment phase shall last at least 30 days plus the amount of time required to conduct the interview phase. The comment phase starts at the close of the nomination phase. The Address Council shall make a comment section available on the ASO Website. Anyone may submit a comment. All comments will be moderated prior to display. The comment phase will conclude at the same time that the interview phase concludes.

9.4.6. Interview Phase

The interview phase shall last up to 60 days and shall commence 30 days after the start of the comment phase. During the interview phase, the Address Council shall conduct up to 3 rounds of interviews for candidates who have completed the nomination phase and satisfied the eligibility criteria and conflict of interest requirements. The Address Council shall conduct the first round in writing, the second round by videoconference, and the third round (where necessary) by videoconference or other mutually agreeable mechanism. Candidates must participate in all applicable interview rounds conducted by the Address Council to remain under consideration.

9.4.6.1. Interview Committee

An Interview Committee (IC) will be established to interview candidates. This committee will consist of five members of the Address Council, provided that no more than two IC members may come from the same region. Members of the QRC are eligible to participate on the IC. The IC may enlist the support of additional Address Council members to conduct interviews. The IC will produce a comparative report. It is expected that such a report will rank the candidates, describe how the ranking was derived, and summarize the questions and answers. Any Address Council member may observe the IC’s proceedings.

9.4.6.2. Interview Round 1: Written Interview

A written interview will be conducted for all qualified candidates. At the beginning of the interview phase, each candidate will receive a list of questions, developed by the Address Council, to answer in writing. The candidates will have 10 days to complete the questionnaire and return it to the Secretariat. The Address Council will meet to examine the responses to the written interview questionnaire from each candidate and determine if any candidates should be further interviewed. Persons not considered for further interviews will be removed from further consideration.

9.4.6.3. Interview Round 2: Video Conference Interview

The IC will interview any candidates who remain under consideration after the written interview by means of videoconference. Other members of the Address Council may attend the videoconference, but they may not ask questions or otherwise comment during the interview. Before the interview, each candidate will be provided with a list of questions so that they may prepare for the interview. The IC shall present a report of each interview conducted to the Address Council. The Address Council will meet to examine the report of each candidate’s round 2 interview and determine if any candidates should be interviewed further.

9.4.6.4. Interview Round 3: Video Conference Interview

The IC may, but is not required to, interview any candidates that remain under consideration after the second round by means of an additional videoconference. Other members of the Address Council that may attend such videoconference, but they may not ask questions or otherwise comment during the interview.

Before the interview, each candidate will be provided with a list of questions so that they may prepare for the interview. The IC shall present a report of each candidate’s round 3 interview to the Address Council.

9.4.7. Selection Phase

The selection phase shall last at least 14 days, beginning at the close of the interview phase. During this phase, the Address Council shall meet to evaluate the remaining candidates and vote pursuant to Section 7.2. The Address Council shall announce the selected candidate only after ICANN has completed its due diligence review and the review has not raised any significant concerns.

9.4.8. Notifying ICANN

At the request of the Chair, the Secretariat will notify the Secretary of ICANN of the selection result, providing the name and contact information of the successful candidate.

9.4.9. Candidate Review

The successful candidate will be subjected to a due diligence review process independently managed by ICANN. Depending on the region in which the candidate is located, a due diligence review generally takes 3-4 weeks to complete. The due diligence process is meant to ensure that there is nothing in the candidate’s past or the information provided to the Address Council during the nomination process that would raise any concerns about permitting the candidate to serve as a Director. If the originally selected candidate fails the due diligence review, the candidate that received the next highest number of votes will become the selected candidate and will be put forward for due diligence review.

9.4.10. Announcement of Election Results

Election results, including the vote counts from each election, will be provided only to the eligible voters. This information is strictly confidential. Following a successful due diligence review and report thereof to the Address Council, the Chair will announce the results of the election.

9.5. Extraordinary Selection Procedure

If an ASO-designated seat on the ICANN Board becomes vacant before the end of its term, the Address Council will fill the vacancy using one of the procedures set forth in this Section 9.5, as determined by majority vote of the Address Council (internal matter). Once appointed, the selected person will serve for the remainder of the term of the vacated seat.

9.5.1. Selection from a Previous Candidate List

The Address Council may select any candidate who received at least one third of all votes cast in the most recent General Selection Procedure. The Chair may contact all candidates who meet this criterion to ask if they are willing to serve out the remaining term. If one or more candidates meet this criterion and are willing to serve, the Address Council will follow the selection procedure in Section 9.4.7. If no candidate meets this criterion, is willing to serve, or receives the requisite number of votes, the Address Council may select a candidate pursuant to Sections 9.5.2 or 9.5.3.

9.5.2. Selection from Public Nominations

At the request of the Chair, the Secretariat will issue a call for candidates using the process in Section 9.4.3, except that the Chair shall determine the length of the nomination period. Each nominee must complete and submit the Certification Letter and the questionnaire within 15 days. Thereafter, the Address Council will select a candidate following the procedure in Section 9.4.7.

9.5.3. Selection from Address Council Nominations

Members of the Address Council will nominate at least 2 candidates for the open seat. At the request of the Chair, the Secretariat will notify the potential candidates as set forth in Section 9.4.3. Each nominee must complete and submit the Certification Letter and the questionnaire within 15 days. Thereafter, the Address Council will select a candidate following the procedure in Section 9.4.7.

9.5.4. Notification of ICANN

At the request of the Chair, the Secretariat will notify the Secretary of ICANN of the selection result, providing the name and contact information of the successful candidate.

10. Rules of Order

10.1.Parliamentary Procedures

The Address Council shall use the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised for its parliamentary procedure.

10.2. Special Rules of Order

The Address Council may adopt special rules of order that it deems necessary to conduct business. Such rules shall supersede Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised to the extent of any conflict. Any special rules of order must be approved by the NRO EC.

11. Amending the Operating Procedures

These Operating Procedures may be amended if the following conditions are met:

1. the proposed amendment text is circulated to all members of the Address Council through the public mailing list at least 7 days before voting on the amendment,
2. two thirds of the members of the Address Council approve the amendment by vote, and
3. the NRO EC approves the amendment.

Overview of Updates 

Last modified on December 11th, 2023 at 11:22