Technical Liaison Group
The Technical Liaison Group (TLG) is a group within ICANN whose purpose is to provide the ICANN Board with appropriate sources of technical advice on specific matters related to ICANN's activities.[1]
Composition[edit | edit source]
The TLG is comprised of four organizations:
- The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
- The Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
- The World Wide Web Consortium or W3C
- The International Telecommunications Union’s (ITU) Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T).[2]
Each group elects a maximum of two representatives to serve in the TLG, who are responsible for decided how and where to direct a technical question from ICANN. These individuals must be present when necessary. The current representatives are:
- ETSI: Fernando Soriano & Bernardo Correia
- ITU-T: Reinhard Scholl
- W3C: Thomas Roessler
- IAB: tba
One representative from the TLG is elected to serve as a Non-Voting Liaison to the ICANN Board. For 2011, this is Reinhard Scholl. A representative is also chosen annually is a voting delegate of the Nominating Committee. These representatives are chosen rotationally: the rotation order for the Board liaison is ETSI, ITU-T, W3C, and the rotation order for the NomCom delegate is W3C, ETSI, and ITU-T. The IAB does not participate in the rotation, as the IETF otherwise appoints representatives to both structures.[3][4]
Role[edit | edit source]
The main role of the TLG organizations is to channel all the relevant and necessary technical information and act as a guide to the Board as well as other entities of ICANN. This role of the TLG has been divided into two components. Firstly, the TLG connects the Board and other Bodies of ICANN with the relevant sources that provide them with all the necessary technical expertise. And secondly, it also plays the role of a ‘watchdog’ and advises the Board about the latest technical developments and the impact they may have in the decision-making process of the Board of ICANN.