Monthly archives:

• Registry failover plan
• Nominating Committee review
• Single-letter domains
• ALAC bylaw change
• Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy
• RSSAC review terms of reference
• GNSO improvements
• Final Report on the Introduction of New gTLDs
• Registry failover plan
• Telnic Whois contract change

[See monthly archives for more]

• December 2007
• November 2007
• October 2007
• September 2007
• August 2007
• July 2007
• Prior to July 2007

Explanation: A revised draft [PDF, 41K] is being posted which incorporates feedback received following the ICANN meeting in Los Angeles. Comments may be submitted until 15 December 2007.

With the expected expansion of new generic top-level domains, the possibility of a registry failure is greatly increased. In order to pre-empt a possible future problem, ICANN has worked with gTLD and ccTLD registry representatives to devise a way of dealing with the failure of an arm of the domain name system.

The draft Failover Plan [pdf] (here as a flow chart) comes with a Best Practices [pdf] document. The Failover Plan identifies the process and procedures to be undertaken when a specific set of events indicating a potential gTLD registry failure. It is designed to protect the interests of registrants and provide the best opportunity for continued registry operations.

The Best Practices document intends to be the source of contractual terms that will become part of every new registry agreement. These terms are intended to provide registries a tool for ensuring ongoing operations and also to provide a backstop process in the case of failure.

This is a complex and important topic and so ICANN is putting it out for review by the wider community. You can find more summary information on the official announcement.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: The independent organisation reviewing ICANN's Nominating Committee has provided its report.

The report will be used to develop detailed proposals for improving the way ICANN fills leadership positions, and part of that process will be public input, both in response to this public comment period and at a special session at the Los Angeles meeting on Wednesday 31 October 2007 at 5pm.

The NomCom is responsible for the selection of 8 members of ICANN’s Board of Directors; 3 members of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO); 3 members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO); and 5 members of the Interim At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC).

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: ICANN is looking for ideas and suggestions on ways to allocate single-letter domains, such as a.com, i.info, 4.mobi or 8.org. Currently, it is not possible to register single-letter domains in all 16 generic top-level domains, from .aero to .travel - a policy stretching back to pre-ICANN days.

However, a recent report [pdf] by a working group of the GNSO recommended that single-letter domains be made available now and into the future, with the proviso that an appropriate allocation method was devised. This forum is therefore asking the community for suggestions on what allocation methods it feels would be best. ICANN will synthesize responses and then present proposed methods for allocation for community consideration.

For more information and background, see the official announcement of this forum.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: A proposed bylaw change for the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) - the part of ICANN that represents ordinary Internet users - is designed to allow the regional bodies (RALOs) to take a greater role in the approval of "At Large Structures" (ALSes), which form the base component part of the ICANN structure. The change is also designed to improve transparency of ALS application reviews and approvals.

You can find more information on the exact change in the official announcement for this public comment period.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: The GNSO Council, in the process of reviewing the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy, formed a working group to review the effectiveness of the policy and identify areas where future policy work might be beneficial.

One of the working group's outputs was a draft advisory containing certain reminders and clarifications relevant to the policy.

In accordance with the GNSO Council's resolution of 20 September 07, this draft Advisory is being posted for constituency and community review and comment. The input received will be reviewed and analyzed by the GNSO Council, pursuant to which this or an amended form of the draft may be released as a community advisory.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: As part of the ongoing independent review of ICANN's supporting organisations and advisory committees, we are seeking comment on the proposed "terms of reference" for the DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC).

You can see the full scope and guiding questions on the official announcement page for this review. The results will be posted for a second period of public review and comment, and then put in front of the Board for review. Consideration by the Board includes the ability to revise the structure or operation of the RSSAC by a two thirds vote of all members.

Comments will be taken until 1 December 2007.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: The Board Governance Committee's GNSO Review Working Group has issued a comprehensive proposal to improve the effectiveness of the GNSO, including its policy activities, structure, operations and communications. The GNSO Improvements Report reflects the Working Group’s examination of many aspects of the GNSO’s functioning, including the use of working groups and the overall policy development process (PDP), and the structure of the GNSO Council and its constituencies.

That process has now reached a final report stage. As such it is being put out for public comment, and will also be discussed at the upcoming Los Angeles meeting on 29 October at 11am. The LA forum discussion and public comments will be considered and a final report will be presented to the full Board Governance Committee and the Board. As the community and the Board consider the proposals outlined in the Report, it is important to keep in mind that this is an evolutionary process intended to reflect the importance of the GNSO to ICANN and to build upon the GNSO's successes to date.

You can read a summary of the report here [pdf], the full report here [pdf], and a webpage dedicated to the process can be found here.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: The GNSO Council voted to send a set of principles, recommendations and implementation guidelines intended to result in a straightforward process that awards new gTLDs if applicants satisfy the pre-published criteria.

In September the GNSO Council approved its Final Report [PDF, 516K] on the Introduction of New Top-Level Domains (Report) after two years of work and numerous public comment periods. The GNSO developed this proposed policy through its bottom-up, multi-stakeholder policy development process, and worked in coordination with an ICANN staff team to help ensure that their final recommendations and guidelines are "implementable." The questions that have been addressed by the GNSO in the development of new gTLD policy are complex and involve technical, economic, operational, legal, public policy, and other considerations.

The proposed policy provides direction to staff to enable the implementation of a clear, predictable, timely road map for the application process including: objective business and technical thresholds, pre-published contract terms, evaluation criteria, and dispute resolution processes. Detailed information is provided at http://gnso.icann.org/issues/new-gtlds/pdp-dec05-fr-parta-08aug07.htm.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: With the expected expansion of new generic top-level domains, the possibility of a registry failure is greatly increased. In order to pre-empt a possible future problem, ICANN has worked with gTLD and ccTLD registry representatives to devise a way of dealing with the failure of an arm of the domain name system.

The draft Failover Plan [pdf] (here as a flow chart) comes with a Best Practices [pdf] document. The Failover Plan identifies the process and procedures to be undertaken when a specific set of events indicating a potential gTLD registry failure. It is designed to protect the interests of registrants and provide the best opportunity for continued registry operations.

The Best Practices document intends to be the source of contractual terms that will become part of every new registry agreement. These terms are intended to provide registries a tool for ensuring ongoing operations and also to provide a backstop process in the case of failure.

This is a complex and important topic and so ICANN is putting it out for review by the wider community. You can find more summary information on the official announcement.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments

Explanation: Telnic proposed a change to its contract covering Whois in May 2007. This was put out for public comment and following discussions at the San Juan meeting, Telnic changed its amendment. The issue has arisen because Telnic is due to launch .tel soon and it wishes to be fully in compliance with UK privacy law before it does so because it is headquartered in the UK.

Under the revised proposal [pdf], Telnic will continue to publish full Whois information for legal persons. Telnic will collect from registrars full Whois information for natural persons, but only limited information will be displayed. Requestors seeking full contact information for natural persons may use a secure Special Access Service to obtain non-public data.

You can view all the documentation covering the amendment here.

Announcement | Comments | Summary/analysis of comments