What Are the Current Participatory Structures that Allow Individual Internet Users To Participate in ICANN Policy?
To understand the challenges of representing the At-Large community in the ICANN policy development process, one must start with an understanding of the existing structures for participation. At-Large Structures: The At-Large community is geographically dispersed, culturally and politically diverse, multilingual, and it is composed of individuals holding many Internet policy interests. More than 100 groups representing the views of individual Internet users are currently recognized and active in ICANN from around the world. Termed “At-Large Structures” (“ALSes”), such groups organize at the local or issue level. This means that the individuals in a given ALS may share a common geographic area or common interest in an Internet-related issue, such as civil society, consumer protection, intellectual property treatment or information security. At-Large Structures are the focal point for information sharing between individuals and ICANN. An ALS is a self-organizing and self-funded group, us
