ICANN Meets This Week in Mexico City - The ICANN meetings in Mexico City are under way through Friday, March 6. Among the topics to be covered are: new gTLDs, fast tracking of IDN ccTLDs, changes to the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), DNSSEC, IPv4 and IPv6, e-crime and abuse of the DNS, and improving institutional confidence in ICANN.

ICANN has issued a number of documents in the days leading up to the meetings, including:

• an independent review of the DNS Root Server Advisory Committee (RSSAC). The report includes the recommendation that the committee be restructured and re-launched as a joint strategy group, accountable to both ICANN and the root server operators.
• a call for Expressions of Interest from "firms interested in and capable of performing any number of independent evaluation roles as part of the new gTLD process."
• a draft Implementation Plan for Improving Institutional Confidence in ICANN.
• a proposed Registrar Disqualification Procedure to codify ICANN's procedures in this area.

Many sessions are being webcast, and a mobile version of the meeting site is available at http://icann.mobi.

Picks To Click

• ToysRUs has bought toys.com at auction for $USD 5.1 million.
• CIRA has announced the appointment of Ash Abhyankar, Malcolm Andrew, Gaston Gohou, and Susan M. Mitchell to its Nomination Committee. Each new member has been appointed for a two-year term. They join continuing members Tim Denton, Jim Green, Robert Guerra, Stuart MacDonald, and Omayma Moharram.
• auDA, the Australian domain name administrator, has extended until 2014 its agreement with AusRegistry, the organization contracted to operate the .au registry.

Timeline

• Tue, Feb 3 - Mon, Mar 23: .tel domain registrations available at a premium price
• Sun, Mar 1 - Fri, Mar 6: ICANN meetings in Mexico City, Mexico
• Fri, Mar 6: last day for nominations for the .ORG Advisory Council
• Sun, Mar 15: last day for comments on one- and two-charcter .biz names
• Tue, Mar 24: .tel domain registrations open to all
• Mon, Apr 13: last day for comments on revised gTLD Applicant Handbook
• Wed, Apr 15: last day for applications to the ICANN Nominating Committee
• Thu, Apr 30: last day for comments on ICANN FY2010 proposed budget framework
• Sun, Jun 21 - Fri, Jun 26: ICANN meetings in Sydney, Australia
• Sun, Oct 25 - Fri, Oct 30: ICANN meetings in Seoul, South Korea