Changes

==Compensation==  

==Compensation==  

Following a number of reviews, the ICANN Board began proposing changes to its [[ICANN Bylaws|bylaws]] to allow its Board's directors to be compensated for their service. Until December, 2011, the board had been a voluntary position, with the CEO/President and the Chair of the Board being the only two paid members. Board members were reimbursed for travel expenses and other costs related to their work.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/general/proposed-bylaws-revision-vi-01sep11-en.pdf Proposed Bylaw Revisions, Sept 2011, ICANN.org]</ref>

Based on recommendations from a number of reviews, the ICANN Board began proposing changes to its [[ICANN Bylaws|bylaws]] to allow its Board's directors to be compensated for their service. Until December, 2011, the board had been a voluntary position, with the CEO/President and the Chair of the Board being the only two paid members. Board members were reimbursed for travel expenses and other costs related to their work.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/general/proposed-bylaws-revision-vi-01sep11-en.pdf Proposed Bylaw Revisions, Sept 2011, ICANN.org]</ref>

In December, 2010, the [[Accountability and Transparency Review Team]] recommended that the ICANN Board "expeditiously implement the compensation scheme for voting Directors as recommended by the Boston Consulting Group adjusted as necessary to address international payment issues, if any."<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/reviews/affirmation/atrt-final-recommendations-31dec10-en.pdf ATRT Final Recommendations]</ref> At the March, 2011 meeting in San Francisco, the board voted to adopt the ATRT's recommendations, including the compensation proposition. However, the issue continued to be controversial with ICANN legal staff recommending against the measure.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/icann-advised-against-director-salaries/ ICANN Advised Against Director Salaries, DomainIncite.com]</ref>

In December, 2010, the [[Accountability and Transparency Review Team]] recommended that the ICANN Board "expeditiously implement the compensation scheme for voting Directors as [[ICANN Board Review|recommended by the Boston Consulting Group]] adjusted as necessary to address international payment issues, if any."<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/reviews/affirmation/atrt-final-recommendations-31dec10-en.pdf ATRT Final Recommendations]</ref> At the March, 2011 meeting in San Francisco, the board voted to adopt the ATRT's recommendations, including the compensation proposition. However, the issue continued to be controversial with ICANN legal staff recommending against the measure.<ref>[http://domainincite.com/icann-advised-against-director-salaries/ ICANN Advised Against Director Salaries, DomainIncite.com]</ref>

Following the quick move of ICANN board Chairman, [[Peter Dengate Thrush]], to a new [[gTLD]] consultancy, [[Minds + Machines]], weeks after he voted to approve new gTLDs, issues with the board's compensation and their checks against conflicts of interest were once again raised.  In one of six non-papers written by the [[European Commission]], in August, 2011, they suggest compensating board members as part of a larger package to ensure that future conflicts of interest are not allowed or encouraged.<ref>[http://blog.internetgovernance.org/pdf/ECPaper3-4.pdf EC Papers 3-4, internetgovernance.org]</ref>

Following the quick move of ICANN board Chairman, [[Peter Dengate Thrush]], to a new [[gTLD]] consultancy, [[Minds + Machines]], weeks after he voted to approve new gTLDs, issues with the board's compensation and their checks against conflicts of interest were once again raised.  In one of six non-papers written by the [[European Commission]], in August, 2011, they suggest compensating board members as part of a larger package to ensure that future conflicts of interest are not allowed or encouraged.<ref>[http://blog.internetgovernance.org/pdf/ECPaper3-4.pdf EC Papers 3-4, internetgovernance.org]</ref>