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The [[ICANN Board]] adopted new bylaws on October 31, 2002, which came into effect on December 15, 2002. The creation of the ALAC was part of a larger reform effort within ICANN, now known as ICANN 2.0. The new bylaws established the ALAC and provided support for At-Large Organizations. It stated that the ALAC should consist of ten members selected by [[RALO|Regional At-Large Organizations]], with five supplementary members to be selected by [[NomCom|ICANN's Nominating Committee]]. The interim ALAC consisted of ten members, two from each of ICANN's 5 regions.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/committees/alac/ ALAC History]</ref>
The [[ICANN Board]] adopted new bylaws on October 31, 2002, which came into effect on December 15, 2002. The creation of the ALAC was part of a larger reform effort within ICANN, now known as ICANN 2.0. The new bylaws established the ALAC and provided support for At-Large Organizations. It stated that the ALAC should consist of ten members selected by [[RALO|Regional At-Large Organizations]], with five supplementary members to be selected by [[NomCom|ICANN's Nominating Committee]]. The interim ALAC consisted of ten members, two from each of ICANN's 5 regions.<ref>[http://www.icann.org/en/committees/alac/ ALAC History]</ref>
In her testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation on December 8, 2011, [[Esther Dyson]], former Chair of the ICANN Board and ALAC member, noted the difficulty of representing the average Internet user within ICANN, even with the ALAC. Specific problems included recruiting members and fostering productive message boards and long-distance communications.<ref>[http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=c81ce454-f519-4373-a51d-234c61755e39 Commerce.Senate.gov]</ref> Since then, ALAC has focused its attention on addressing these issues, among others, to cultivate more and better participation by end-users in the At-Large Community. For instance, the At-Large website shepherds current and prospective volunteers into action through a series of options concerning one of two areas of work: 1) policy advice development or 2) organization building.<ref>[https://atlarge.icann.org/get-involved At-Large Get Involved]</ref>
In her testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation on December 8, 2011, [[Esther Dyson]], former Chair of the ICANN Board and ALAC member, noted the difficulty of representing the average Internet user within ICANN, even with the ALAC. Specific problems included recruiting members and fostering productive message boards and long-distance communications.<ref>[http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=c81ce454-f519-4373-a51d-234c61755e39 Commerce.Senate.gov]</ref> Since then, ALAC has focused its attention on addressing these issues, among others, to cultivate more and better participation by end-users in the At-Large Community.<ref>[https://atlarge.icann.org/get-involved At-Large Get Involved]</ref>
==The Role of the ALAC==
In accordance with [[ICANN Bylaws]], the ALAC is charged with understanding, representing, and advocating for the best interest of Internet end users worldwide. The ALAC focuses on two general areas of work: policy advice development and organization building.<ref>[https://atlarge.icann.org/about/what-does-alac-do What Does ALAC Do?]</ref>
===Policy Advice Development===
[[File:ALAC Policy Advice Development Process.jpg|655px|thumbnail|right|ALAC Policy Advice Development (Image from ICANN.org)]]The ALAC does not develop policy; it publicizes, analyzes, and provides advice on ICANN policy proposals and decisions. [[Public Comment]] proceedings are the main channel through which the ALAC advises ICANN. It also corresponds with and responds to input requests from other ICANN body working groups.
When a new [[Public Comment]] opens, the ALAC consults with subject matter experts within the [[At-Large Community]] to decide if it should make a statement on the topic. It uses mailing lists, RALO, and working groups to build consensus. Then, the ALAC determines who should be the “penholders,” the individuals responsible for the initial draft of the statement to be submitted to the Public Comment. The completed draft is posted on the ALAC Wiki workspace for comment and then it is finalized. Then the 15 ALAC members ratify and submit the document to the Public Comment as a formal ALAC Policy Advice Statement.
===Organization Building===
The ALAC seeks to ensure sure that all [[ALS]]es and individual members understand [[ICANN |ICANN’s mission and core value]], contribute to policy developments, and sustain the flow of end-user volunteers into the [[Multistakehoder Model]] of ICANN. The committee does in three ways: capacity building, outreach, and operational matters, all of which focus on cultivating RALOs and ALSes. The most formalized of the ALAC’s means is its operational contributions, which include:
#[[ALS]] accreditation
#Meeting planning for ALAC, RALOs, and At-Large working group sessions during ICANN International Meetings.
#Budget request review from RALOs for outreach, engagement, or capacity building
#Selection of members – Evaluate and confirm candidates selected from the [[At-Large Community]] as delegates to the [[NomCom]] and [[Cross Community Working Groups]]
#Organizational review
==At-Large Structures==
==At-Large Structures==