What is the ccNSO?
The ccNSO (website here - http://www.ccnso.icann.org/) is the policy development body for a narrow range of global ccTLD issues within the ICANN structure. It is established under the bylaws of ICANN. It is responsible for developing and recommending to the Board global policies relating to country-code top-level domains, nurturing consensus across the ccNSO's community, including the name-related activities of ccTLDs, and coordinating with other ICANN Supporting Organisations, committees, and constituencies under ICANN.
How to Get Involved
The At-Large community has a standing liaison seat at the ccNSO. The 2008 - 2009 liaison is Rudi Vansnick - if you are interested in the issues that the ccNSO considers, volunteer to help Rudi and join the ccNSO Liaison Mailing List, say hello, and lend a hand.
Current Activites of Concern to At-Large
Updated 29/08/2009 Actual ccNSO working groups, which are interesting to the At-Large community are :
The purpose of the Ad-hoc ccNSO/GNSO Joint IDN Working Group is to deal with issues related to the introduction of IDN ccTLDs under the IDN ccTLD Fast Track implementation process and IDN gTLDs under the new gTLD implementation process which are of common interest to both the GNSO and ccNSO.
ALAC Members participating in this working group are : Sivasubramanian Muthusamy, Cheryl Langdon-Orr
The purpose of the working group is to advise the ccNSO Council whether it should launch a policy development process to recommend changes to the current policy for delegation, re-delegation and retirement of ccTLDs.
The goal of the Working Group is to coordinate and organise participation of ccTLD managers in ICANN's Strategic and Operational planning processes. The scope of activities of the Working Group is to do whatever it deems relevant and necessary to facilitate and improve participation of ccTLD managers in the aforementioned processes. The Working Group shall not act as a representative of the ccNSO Council, or individual ccTLD managers collectively or individually, unless they have been explicitly asked to do so."
Review of ICANN Geographic Regions
Since At-Large, like the ccNSO, is structured via the Geographic Regions defined by ICANN as provided in the ICANN Bylaws, changes to the regional territory and country makeup can have a significant effect on At-Large. There is an ongoing review of Geographic regions underway, about which more information can be found here.
Former ccNSO working groups on issues of interest to At Large were :