GNSO Council committee on Approval Process for gTLD Service Changes policy development processRome meeting 4 March 2004
Antonio Harris - ISCPC Bruce Tonkin proposed that the public comment process at the stage where a registry operator checks with ICANN to see if approval is required under the registry contracts should be removed. This ensures that registry operators have an incentive to discuss a proposed change with ICANN as a courtesy even if the registry operator does not believe that the change requires approval. He stated the ICANN manager of public participation mentioned in the ICANN bylaws would be a useful resource in the approval process for gTLD service changes when public comment is required. The position was not yet filled and Kieran Baker was currently acting manager. A distinction was made between "approval" and "giving notice". Bruce Tonkin referred to a chart which he had developed to map out the process in which the public participation was taken out. Marilyn Cade mentioned the example: MC registry announces a new feature, ICANN agrees, that no approval required, when the community looks at it there are objections. Ken Stubbs made the point that if the registry engaged in contracts with ICANN it may wish to discuss an innovative service in confidence, noting that gtld registries compete with other tld registries including cctlds. Marilyn Cade commented that the community provided legitimacy to ICANN to avoid governmental regulation. The process should be balanced Need for stable operators. All committee members were invited to include criteria to be used during the approval process for later analysis against the ICANN mission. The criteria have been grouped in categories below for easier reference. Security and stability Impact on third parties Degree of community support Market forces Bruce Tonkin undertook to seek advice from the ICANN General Counsel on which of these criteria are within the scope of ICANN in accordance with its bylaws. Bruce Tonkin thanked all those present for their participation. The meeting ended at 10:30 am local time (CET) |