“It’s fitting to host such an historic meeting in California. ICANN will be looking at issues impacting the future of the Internet in the place where, in many ways, the Internet was born and grew up,” ICANN’s President and CEO Dr. Paul Twomey said.

“The ICANN model is working and these meetings are pivotal. As a bottom up, consensus-driven organization, help us get the community together to discuss the direction we need to head, and how we will get there,” he added.

Attendees and online participants can be part of more than 30 sessions and workshops, and will help ICANN continue improving the global coordination of the Internet's unique identifiers.

Some of the highlights of the Los Angeles meeting include:

• ICANN’s ongoing technical test of Internationalized Domain Names,
• Developing policies on how IDNs will be implemented so global internet users can get their names in their languages,
• A major workshop on Increasing consumer choice through the development of the application and approval process for new generic top-level domains (gTLDs, which are the part of web addresses after the dot — like .com or .info),
• Enhancing protection for domain name registrants through amendments to the Registrar Accreditation Agreement.

“I can’t over emphasize the importance of IDNs and new gTLDs — when ICANN reaches the implementation point on these projects we will see an incredible change in the way people interact with the Internet and each other,” Twomey continued.

“ICANN stands for a single, globally interoperable Internet — and the work on IDNs and new gTLDs is part of enhancing that,” he noted.

Twomey also welcomed the announcement from the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration that the NTIA will consult with interested stakeholders regarding the mid-term review of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between the Department and ICANN.

“ICANN and the Department agreed to a mid term review in 2006,” Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information John Kneuer said at the ICANN meeting this morning.

“It is important that all interested stakeholders have an opportunity to directly share their views on ICANN during the JPA mid-term review,” Kneuer added.

“We feel strongly that our review must be informed by your experiences with ICANN and perspectives regarding its evolution,” he highlighted.

“We welcome this public consultation. ICANN stands for one, global interoperable Internet. If you believe in that, this is your opportunity to tell the NTIA that the ICANN model is our best one to ensure co-ordination not control,” Twomey pointed out.

“It’s also an historic meeting because it is Vint Cerf’s last official function as board chair,” Dr Twomey added.

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet.