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ICANN POLICY UPDATE | Volume 12, Issue 11 – December 2012

PDF Version [415 KB]

http://www.icann.org/en/resources/policy/update

CONTENTS:

Across ICANN

  1. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment

ccNSO

  1. Public Comments Support Policy for Selection of IDN ccTLD Strings
  2. ccNSO Adopted Third Method for Managing Work Plan
  3. ccNSO Endorses SOP WG Advice on Development of New Strategic Plan for ICANN
  4. ccNSO Election Guidelines Review

GNSO

  1. GNSO Council Accepts Advice on Definitions, Metrics to Assess Competition, Consumer Trust and Choice
  2. GNSO Council Adopts Charter for IGO-INGO PDP Working Group

ASO

  1. Issues Active in the ASO

At-Large

  1. ALAC to Break Annual Policy Advice Record
  2. At-Large In Full Force at Internet Governance Forum in Baku
  3. At-Large Community Expands to 148 At-Large Structures As Connecting .nyc Inc. and Nova Scotia Community Access Program Are Certified

SSAC

  1. Issues Active in SSAC

GAC

  1. Where to Find GAC Information

Read in Your Preferred Language

ICANN Policy Update is available in all six official languages of the United Nations. Policy Update is posted on ICANN's web site and available via online subscription. To receive the Update in your Inbox each month, visit the ICANN subscriptions page, enter your e-mail address, and select "Policy Update" to subscribe. This service is free.

ICANN Policy Update statement of purpose

Send questions, comments and suggestions to: policy-staff@icann.org.

Policy Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees

Address Supporting Organization ASO
Country Code Names Supporting Organization ccNSO
Generic Names Supporting Organization GNSO
At-Large Advisory Committee ALAC
Governmental Advisory Committee GAC
Root Server System Advisory Committee RSSAC
Security and Stability Advisory Committee SSAC

Across ICANN

1. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment

Numerous public comment periods are currently open on issues of interest to the ICANN community. Act now to share your views on such topics as:

For the full list of issues open for public comment, plus recently closed and archived public comment forums, visit the Public Comment web page.

ccNSO

2. Public Comments Support Policy for Selection of IDN ccTLD Strings

ccNSO Logo

At a Glance

Draft policy for selection of IDN ccTLD strings does not need adjustment based on analysis of the comments received.

Recent Developments

The Public Forum on the draft overall policy for the selection of IDN ccTLD strings closed on 9 November 2012. Most comments received supported the proposed policy, including the proposed two-panel review for string confusion. Some comments addressed potential variants issues, but variant management will be revisited at a later stage of the process.

Next Steps

The Working Group under the IDN ccPDP that is working on the proposals for the overall policy for the selection of strings is currently reviewing whether the draft proposals now need to be updated to take into account the comments received. This paper will be published as final recommendations from the Working Group and will be included in the Interim Report together with the final recommendations on the inclusion of IDN ccTLDs in the ccNSO, which is the second part of the IDN ccPDP. The Interim Report will be published for public comment.

Background

The IDN ccPDP report on the draft policy recommendations for the selection of IDN ccTLDs associated with the territories listed in the ISO 3166-1 (IDN ccTLDs) is within the framework of the IDN country code Policy Development Process.

Until the introduction of IDN ccTLDs under the Fast Track Process, ccTLD strings were limited to the two letter codes obtained from the ISO 3166-1 list. As this mechanism could not be used for the selection of IDN ccTLD strings, an alternative method was developed was introduced which is commonly referred to as the Fast Track Process.

In time the overall policy will replace the rules for the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process. The second part of the IDN ccPDP is on the inclusion of the IDN ccTLD's in the ccNSO.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, ccNSO Senior Policy Advisor

3. ccNSO Adopted Third Method for Managing Work Plan

At a Glance

The ccNSO Council adopted a detailed method for viewing the ccNSO work plan.

Recent Developments

At its 11 December 2012 meeting, the ccNSO Council adopted a third, detailed method to manage the work plan of the ccNSO. This new method provides an overview of all activities and progress made by the ccNSO across three main categories: policy related (such as the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) ccPDP and Framework of Interpretation WG), ccTLD related (such as the SOP WG) and ccNSO administrative activities (such as the review of election guidelines). This view of the community's work will be updated on a monthly basis to inform both the Council and the community of the progress to date and anticipated next steps. This method will be used in addition to the existing two-year overviews of the workload and work plan.

Next Steps

Based on the views of the ccNSO workload and work plan, the ccNSO Council Capacity Study Group will propose methods to prioritize activities. It is anticipated that the Report of the Study Group will be discussed at the ccNSO Council workshop at the ICANN's Public Meeting in Beijing in April 2013.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, ccNSO Senior Policy Advisor

4. ccNSO Endorses SOP WG Advice on Development of New Strategic Plan for ICANN

At a Glance

The ccNSO Council supported advice of the ccNSO Strategic and Operational Planning Working Group (SOP WG) that ICANN should focus all efforts on developing Strategic Plan 2014-2019 under guidance of ICANN's new CEO.

Recent Developments

During its monthly conference call in November, the ccNSO Council resolved to support the recommendations of the ccNSO SOP WG and awaits the high-level comments of the SOP WG.

Next Steps

The ccNSO SOP WG will produce an overview of all its comments since 2009.

Background

The ccNSO SOP WG has submitted as its main comments on the draft Strategic Plan. The comments state that ICANN is advised to discontinue the development of the 2013-2015 Strategic Plan and focus all efforts on the development of the 2014-2019 Strategic Plan. At the same time, the SOP WG committed to provide ICANN with a high-level overview and summary of its main comments since the creation of the SOP WG since 2009, and will also inform the ccNSO Council accordingly.

The ccNSO SOP WG was created at ICANN's 33rd meeting in Cairo in November 2008. The goal of the WG is to coordinate, facilitate, and increase the participation of ccTLD managers in ICANN's strategic and operating planning processes and budgetary processes. The WG may provide input to the public comments forum and work directly with ICANN or other Supporting Organizations and Advisory WGs.

More Information

Staff Contact

Bart Boswinkel, ccNSO Senior Policy Advisor

5. ccNSO Election Guidelines Review

At a Glance

The ccNSO Council has decided to review the ccNSO guidelines for the election of Councilors and selection of ICANN Board seats 11 and 12.

Recent Developments

During the latest Council elections, issues emerged relating to the accuracy of the contact details used to send the ballots, publication of information and balancing the need for transparency and secret voting, as well as other logistics. The ccNSO Council has appointed a committee to review both the logistics and the process of elections within the ccNSO. The committee members are:

  • Keith Davidson
  • Sokol Haxhiu
  • Young-Eum Lee
  • Katrina Sataki

Next Steps

It is anticipated that this committee will report back to the Council by the Beijing meeting.

More Information

Staff Contact

Gabriella Schittek, ccNSO Secretariat

GNSO

6. GNSO Council Accepts Working Group Advice on Definitions, Metrics to Assess Competition, Consumer Trust and Choice

At a Glance

At its 20 December meeting, the GNSO Council adopted the Consumer Choice, Trust and Competition Advice Letter which contains recommendations for establishing the definition, measures and three-year targets for these measures for competition, consumer trust and consumer choice in the context of the domain name system. It is anticipated that this effort will play a critical role in informing the ICANN community about the extent to which gTLD expansion has promoted competition, consumer trust and consumer choice within the expanding top-level domain space.

Recent Developments

The Consumer Metrics Working Group produced a final letter of advice on Consumer Metrics definitions and measures. Ultimately, the purpose of this advice is to provide ICANN's Board with proposed definitions, measures, and targets that may be useful to the future Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) Review Team that will convene one year after new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are launched.

The terms "Consumer," "Consumer Trust," "Consumer Choice," and "Competition" were defined and agreed upon by the working group. Additionally, the WG created metrics and three-year targets for each definition. Three classes of metrics can be summarized as follows:

  • Consumer Trust Metrics which encompass the confidence in registrations and resolution of the TLD/DNS and that TLD Operators are fulfilling their stated promise and complying with applicable national laws.
  • Consumer Choice Metrics which are meant to measure the range of options available to consumers by clear and transparent ways so that users can make meaningful distinctions when choosing TLDs. Potential indicators for defensive registrations are also defined.
  • Competition Metrics which are limited in scope to only measure the actual market rivalry of TLDs, TLD Operators, Service Providers, and Registrars.

After nearly a year of WG deliberation, public sessions and updates at the Dakar, Costa Rica, Prague, and Toronto meetings (including a review of public comments submitted by the community) the Consumer Metric WG finalized its advice to also include deliberation and suggested changes from the GNSO Council.

The WG submitted its final version of the Advice Letter to the GNSO Council on 5 December 2012 for its consideration.

Next Steps

The next step will be for this letter to be transmitted to the ICANN Board. In addition, the letter has been shared with the GAC, ALAC and ccNSO so it can be taken into account as they prepare / develop their advice on this issue for the Board.

Background

The Consumer Metrics Working Group, comprised of community members from both the GNSO and ALAC, was formed in September 2011 and tasked to provide the ICANN Board and the community with suggested definitions for consumer trust, consumer choice, and competition and to propose metrics that might be useful to gauge the effectiveness and success of the New gTLD Program. ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments calls for a review to be conducted one year following the first new gTLD delegations. In advance of the review, the ICANN Board asked in December 2010 for advice from the SOs and ACs on establishing these definitions and metrics.

More Information

Staff Contact

Julie Hedlund, Director, SSAC and Policy Support

7. GNSO Council Adopts Charter for IGO-INGO PDP Working Group

At a Glance

The GNSO Council has initiated a Policy Development Process (PDP) on the protection of names and acronyms of certain international organizations in the top and second levels of all gTLDs including, International Government Organizations and International Non-Governmental Organizations such as the Red Cross/Red Crescent (RCRC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Recent Developments

The GNSO Council initiated a PDP at its public meeting in Toronto to evaluate the need for, and to develop any policy recommendations to provide additional special protections at the top and second level in all gTLDs for the names and acronyms of certain international organizations. These organizations are International Government Organizations (IGOs) and International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs). A Drafting Team was established to create a Charter for this PDP WG and on 15 November 2012, the GNSO Council adopted the PDP WG Charter.

Under the approved Charter, the WG has been tasked to address:

Whether there is a need for special protections for IGO and INGO organizations at the top and second level in all gTLDs (existing and new). In considering this threshold issue, the PDP WG will consider the following elements as detailed in the Final Issue Report:

  • Quantifying the Entities whose names may be Considered for Special Protection;
  • Evaluating the Scope of Existing Protections under International Treaties/Laws for the IGO-INGO organizations concerned;
  • Establishing Qualification Criteria for Special Protection of names of the IGO and INGO organizations concerned;
  • Distinguishing any Substantive Differences between the RCRC and IOC designations from those of other IGO-INGO Organizations.

Should the PDP WG reach consensus on a recommendation that there is a need for special protections at the top and second levels in all existing and new gTLDs for IGO and INGO organization identifiers, the PDP WG is expected to:

  • Develop specific recommendations for appropriate special protections, if any, for the identifiers of any or all IGO and INGO organizations at the first and second levels.
  • Determine the appropriate protections, if any, for RCRC and IOC names at the second level for the initial round of new gTLDs and make recommendations on the implementation of such protection.
  • Determine whether the current special protections being provided to RCRC and IOC names at the top and second level of the initial round of new gTLDs should be made permanent for RCRC and IOC names in all gTLDs; and if so, determine whether the existing protections are sufficient and comprehensive; if not, develop specific recommendations for appropriate special protections (if any) for these identifiers.

Next Steps

After considering the specific issues as outlined in its Charter and the Final Issue Report, the WG is expected to make recommendations to the GNSO Council for any specific necessary additional special protections for the names of certain international organizations. The WG is planning to publish its Initial Report for public comment in early 2013.

More Information

Staff Contact

Margie Milam, Senior Policy Counsel

ASO Logo

ASO

8. Issues Active in the ASO

Public Comment Period Now Closed on Implementing Global Policy for Post Exhaustion IPv4 Allocation Mechanisms by IANA

At-Large

9. ALAC to Break Annual Policy Advice Record

At a Glance

The ALAC has continued submitting a high number of policy advice statements since mid-October is on track to significantly surpass its 2011 record of 40 statements. Between mid-October and early December, the ALAC adopted ten statements. The ALAC is currently preparing several other statements.

Recent Developments

The ALAC statements submitted and correspondence sent between mid-October and early December is:

More Information

Staff Contact

Heidi Ullrich, Director for At-Large

10. At-Large In Full Force at Internet Governance Forum in Baku

At a Glance

Demonstrating the power of the multistakeholder model to rally individual Internet users, nearly 30 members of ICANN's At-Large Community participated in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Baku, Azerbaijan from 6-9 November 2012. At-Large community members organized 11 workshops during the IGF well as participated in outreach activities.

Recent Developments

The African Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO) and the Asia, Australasia and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO) worked with ICANN to put together sessions examining aspects of ICANN's New gTLD Program.

  • New gTLD Program: An Opportunity for Development or a Means for More Digital Divide?
    Organized by AFRALO
  • New gTLDs: Implications and Potential for Community Engagement, Advocacy and Development
    Organized by APRALO

In addition to organizing and participating in sessions, At-Large members also joined ICANN staff at its information booth in the IGF Village. They provided information on ICANN-sponsored events as well as on the new MyICANN web portal.

Members of At-Large also met with ICANN CEO, Fadi Chehadé during the IGF. The meeting with Fadi was well attended by various ALSes. Fadi confirmed his commitment to the multistakeholder model and to At-Large.

More Information

The At-Large Activities at the IGF in Baku Workspace includes a full list of At-Large community workshops as well as the reports from AFRALO and APRALO.

Staff Contact

Heidi Ullrich, Director for At-Large

11. At-Large Community Expands to 148 At-Large Structures As Connecting.nyc Inc. and Nova Scotia Community Access Program Are Certified

At a Glance

The ALAC recently certified two new organizations as At-Large Structures (ALSes): Connecting.nyc Inc and the Nova Scotia Community Access Program (NSC@P). These new ALSes expand the regional diversity of the At-Large community, which represents thousands of individual Internet end-users. With the addition of these organizations, the number of accredited ALSes now totals 148.

Recent Developments

The ALAC has certified Connecting.nyc Inc. and Nova Scotia Community Access Program (NSC@P) as new ALSes. The certification process included due diligence carried out by ICANN staff and regional advice provided by the North American At-Large Organization (NARALO).

Additional information on the new At-Large Structures:

  • Connecting.nyc Inc. is located in New York City in the United States. The organization's members include all those interested in creating a better city, including current and former residents and even those not residing in New York but interested in the city. Its mission is to facilitate civic, community and commercial advancement in New York City by advocating for the acquisition, development and operation of .nyc TLD as a public interest resource, and to educate New York's residents and organizations about the techniques and opportunities .nyc offers for improving their lives. Connecting.nyc Inc. also provides a channel to facilitate New Yorkers' engagement with ICANN.
  • The Nova Scotia Community Access Program (NSC@P) is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The organization's members include all volunteers from the community, from all walks of life, culturally, professionally and otherwise. The organization's objectives include advancing the communities' economic, social and cultural priorities through technology and innovation, building a strong, sharing, cooperative and competitive province. As it pertains to ICANN, NSC@P supports the principles of safe and equal governance and policy regarding the Internet for all.

Both organizations will reside within NARALO.

Background

One of the strengths of the At-Large community is that it incorporates the views of a set of globally diverse, Internet end-user organizations, or ALSes, organized within five RALOs. The views of these grassroots organizations are collected through an internal, bottom-up, consensus-driven policy development process and find representation in the official documents of the ALAC.

More Information

Staff Contact

Silvia Vivanco, Manager, At-Large Regional Affairs

SSAC

12. Issues Active in the SSAC

SSAC Publishes Advisory on Impacts of Content Blocking via the Domain Name System

GAC

13. Where to Find GAC Information

At a Glance

ICANN receives input from governments through the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). The GAC's key role is to provide advice to ICANN on issues of public policy, and especially where there may be an interaction between ICANN's activities or policies and national laws or international agreements. The GAC usually meets three times a year in conjunction with ICANN meetings, where it discusses issues with the ICANN Board and other ICANN Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees and other groups. The GAC may also discuss issues between times with the Board either through face-to-face meetings or by teleconference.

Recent Information

The GAC met in Toronto, Canada during the week of 13 October 2012. Fifty GAC Members and three Observers attended the meetings.

A successful High Level Meeting of Governments was held on 15 October 2012, in Toronto centered on the theme of "Preserving and Improving the Multistakeholder Model."

GAC communiqués are posted online.

More Information

Staff Contact

Jeannie Ellers, ICANN Staff

update-dec12-en.pdf  [414 KB]

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Domain Name System
Internationalized Domain Name ,IDN,"IDNs are domain names that include characters used in the local representation of languages that are not written with the twenty-six letters of the basic Latin alphabet ""a-z"". An IDN can contain Latin letters with diacritical marks, as required by many European languages, or may consist of characters from non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. Many languages also use other types of digits than the European ""0-9"". The basic Latin alphabet together with the European-Arabic digits are, for the purpose of domain names, termed ""ASCII characters"" (ASCII = American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These are also included in the broader range of ""Unicode characters"" that provides the basis for IDNs. The ""hostname rule"" requires that all domain names of the type under consideration here are stored in the DNS using only the ASCII characters listed above, with the one further addition of the hyphen ""-"". The Unicode form of an IDN therefore requires special encoding before it is entered into the DNS. The following terminology is used when distinguishing between these forms: A domain name consists of a series of ""labels"" (separated by ""dots""). The ASCII form of an IDN label is termed an ""A-label"". All operations defined in the DNS protocol use A-labels exclusively. The Unicode form, which a user expects to be displayed, is termed a ""U-label"". The difference may be illustrated with the Hindi word for ""test"" — परीका — appearing here as a U-label would (in the Devanagari script). A special form of ""ASCII compatible encoding"" (abbreviated ACE) is applied to this to produce the corresponding A-label: xn--11b5bs1di. A domain name that only includes ASCII letters, digits, and hyphens is termed an ""LDH label"". Although the definitions of A-labels and LDH-labels overlap, a name consisting exclusively of LDH labels, such as""icann.org"" is not an IDN."