Cancellation of ICANN Meetings Causes Concern

30/05/2016

The top Internet organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean have expressed their “deep concern” about the cancellation of the meetings scheduled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in the Caribbean and Central America, one of the which was due to take place in June 2016 in Panama City, while the other was set to take place in October 2016 in Puerto Rico.

In a letter addressed to Steve Crocker, Chairman of the ICANN Board, the Regional Internet Address Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACNIC), the Association of Latin American and Caribbean ccTLD Administrators, and the Latin American and Caribbean Association of Internet Exchange Point Operators (LAC-IX) pointed out that the cancellation of the meetings in Panama and Puerto Rico will directly affect “Internet development in our regions,” as the cancelled meetings were viewed as favorable opportunities for developing the various work agendas, leveraging the geographic and cultural proximity.

These organizations reminded Mr. Crocker that, to date, only one of each six meetings that were held and scheduled by ICANN have taken place in the LAC region, despite the fact that the agreement was that it would be one in five The letter adds that “there is no evidence that this proportion will be fulfilled in the near future.”

Regional Internet organization leaders reminded ICANN that, in order to become “a truly global organization, it must take upon itself to modify its expectations and improve its understanding of the challenges to holding meetings” in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean.