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ICANN POLICY UPDATE | Volume 14, Issue 1 – January 2014 Issue

PDF Version [451 KB]

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

CONTENTS:

Across ICANN

  1. Issues Currently Open for Public Comment

ASO

  1. ASO Begins Busy 2014
  2. NRO and RIR Updates

ccNSO

  1. ccNSO Council Election Results
  2. ccNSO Survey on Need for a Contact Repository
  3. .as (American Samoa) joins as ccNSO member nr 147

GNSO

  1. GAC and GNSO Launch Consultation Group on Early Engagement
  2. GNSO Metrics & Reporting Drafting Team Submits Draft Charter to the GNSO Council
  3. Call for ICANN Community Participants for New Drafting Team on Cross-Community Working Groups

At-Large

  1. ALAC Breaks Previous Year's Record with 52 Policy Statements and Correspondence in 2013
  2. Info Graphic – 2014 Schedule For The Board Director Selection by the ALAC/At Large Community
  3. Second At-Large Summit Preparations Underway
  4. The At-Large Community Expands to 168– At-Large Structures

GAC

  1. GAC and GNSO Launch Consultation Group on Early Engagement

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:

ICANN's Draft Vision, Mission & Focus Areas for a Five-Year Strategic Plan. In line with ICANN's commitment to the multi-stakeholder model, a working draft is provided for community discussion and public comment. Comment period closes 31 January; no reply period posted.

Status Update from the Expert Working Group on gTLD Directory Services The Expert Working Group on gTLD Directory Services (EWG) has been working to envision a clean-slate approach to better meet global Internet community needs for domain name registration data with greater privacy, accuracy, and accountability. Comment period ends 28 February; no reply period posted.

Draft Criteria and Process for Selection of Multistakeholder Ethos Award Pilot Program. ICANN proposes establishment of a pilot award program to recognize ICANN community participants for multistakeholder collaboration efforts as well as years of service. Comment period ends 27 January; reply period ends 17 February.

Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT 2) Final Report & Recommendations. On 31 December 2013, the ATRT2 submitted its Final Report and Recommendations to the ICANN Board of Directors. Per the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) provisions, the Board is required to take action within six months of receipt of the ATRT2 recommendations. Public comments are being requested to inform Board action on the recommendations. Comment period ends 21 February; reply period ends 15 March.

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

The staff also populates a web page to help preview potential "upcoming" public comment opportunities. This page – "Public Comments – Upcoming" page – provides information about potential future public comment opportunities. The page is updated after every ICANN Public Meeting to help individuals and the community to set priorities and plan their future workloads. A new update is expected soon.


ASO

2. ASO Begins Busy 2014

ASO Logo

At a Glance

At its first meeting of the new year, the ASO selected its leadership and made progress on its work plan, including planning a face-to-face meeting for 2014.

Recent Developments

Louie Lee (ARIN) was re-elected as chair of the ASO Address Council. Naresh Ajwani (APNIC) and Alan Barrett (AfriNIC) will serve as Vice Chairs of the ASO AC. Hartmut Glaser (LACNIC) was re-appointed, and Aftab Siddiqui (APNIC) was appointed to the ASO AC as well.

Next Steps

The next ASO AC Monthly Teleconference is scheduled for 12:00UTC on 5 February.

More Information

Staff Contact

Barbara Roseman, Policy Director and Technical Analyst

Carlos Reyes, Senior Policy Analyst


3. NRO and RIR Updates

At a Glance

This new section will highlight recent policy developments in the NRO and the five Regional Internet Registries (when available).

Recent Developments

APNIC | Building on its work from APNIC 36 in Xi'an, China, APNIC recently requested final editorial comments on four draft documents. These documents have been updated in preparation for implementation of proposals 105, 107, and 108, reflecting policy changes approved by consensus in August 2013.

ARIN | ARIN's IPv4 free pool has dropped to 1.5 /8s. As resource availability approaches a single /8s equivalent, Phase 4 of ARIN's IPv4 Countdown Plan will go into effect, prompting certain changes in the resource request process. All IPv4 requests will be processed on a "first in, first out" basis as reviewed by ARIN's IP analysts. The post-approval process remains the same. For more information about ARIN's IPv4 allocation procedures and its IPv4 Countdown Plan, please refer to this announcement.

RIPE NCC | Since September 2012, RIPE NCC has been allocating IPv4 address space from the last /8s. The RIPE NCC IPv4 available pool now stands at 0.94 /8s. IPv4 space is being distributed according to section 5.6 of the IPv4 Address Allocation and Assignment Policies document. For more information, please refer to the RIPE NCC IPv4 Exhaustion page.

The RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2014 has also been approved for implementation. The document outlines the work to be undertaken in the RIPE NCC region this year.

Background

The five RIRs (AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and RIPE NCC) provide Internet resource allocation and management, registration services, regional policy development activities, and technical services supporting the global operation of the Internet. RIRs participate in the global Internet community independently, and jointly through the coordination of the NRO. Per a 2004 MoU with ICANN, the NRO fulfills the role, responsibilities, and functions of the ASO.

More Information

Staff Contact

Barbara Roseman, Policy Director and Technical Analyst

Carlos Reyes, Senior Policy Analyst


ccNSO

4. ccNSO Council Election Results

ccNSO Logo

Recent Developments

The Council elections to the ccNSO Council for the African and European region ended on 13 December 2013. Souleymane Oumtanaga, .ci received most votes for the African region; Nigel Roberts, .gg & .je received most votes for the European region.

Background

Elections were needed in the African and European regions, because in each of those two regions there were more than one candidate for the positions.
No elections were needed for the other regions, as only one candidate per region was nominated.

The other ccNSO Councilors, whose term start in March 2014 are: Hiro Hotta, .jp (Asia-Pacific region); Victor Abboud, .ec (Latin American & Caribbean region); Dotty Sparks de Blanc, .vi (North American region)

Next Steps

The new Council will start its term immediately after the end of the ccNSO Council meeting in Singapore meeting in March 2014.

More Information

Staff Contact

Gabriella Schittek, Policy Specialist & ccNSO Support Manager


5. ccNSO Survey on Need for a Contact Repository

Recent developments

The survey results on the need for a Contact Repository for ccTLDs are now available.

Background

The survey was conducted on behalf of the ccNSO Contact Repository Implementation (CRI) Working Group, which was established to advise the community on how to implement a service that would enable ccTLD operators to contact each other to handle large-scale DNS-related incidents.

The CRI Working Group has been working on the requirements and governance model of such a Contact Repository and recently surveyed community members on what their thoughts are regarding the value and potential costs of such a service.

Next Steps

The Contact Repository Implementation (CRI) Working Group will review the feedback received.

More Information

Staff Contact

Gabriella Schittek, Policy Specialist & ccNSO Support Manager


6. .as (American Samoa) joins as ccNSO member nr 147

Recent Developments

.as (American Samoa) is the first ccTLD to become a ccNSO member in 2014.

Next Steps

The ccNSO invites other ccTLDs to join!

More Information

Staff Contact

Gabriella Schittek, Policy Specialist & ccNSO Support Manager


GNSO

7. GAC and GNSO Launch Consultation Group on Early Engagement

At a Glance

The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) have jointly established a consultation group to explore ways for the GAC to engage early in the GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) and to improve overall cooperation between the two bodies (for example, by exploring the option of a liaison). The consultation group held its first meeting in December and is working on finalizing its proposed charter.

Background

The launch of this GAC-GNSO Consultation Group on Early Engagement is the result of discussions between the two entities at the ICANN meeting in Buenos Aires as well as previous ICANN meetings, reflecting a joint desire to explore and enhance ways of early engagement in relation to GNSO policy development activities. The issue was also specifically called-out by both Accountability and Transparency Review Teams (ATRT).

ICANN receives input from governments through the 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 Public 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.

The GNSO is responsible for developing policies for generic Top-Level Domains (e.g., .com, .org, .biz). The GNSO strives to keep gTLDs operating in a fair, orderly fashion across one global Internet, while promoting innovation and competition. The GNSO uses the GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) to develop policy recommendations which, following approval, are submitted to the ICANN Board for its consideration.

More Information

GAC-GNSO Consultation Group on Early Engagement mailing list

Staff Contacts

Olof Nordling, Senior Director, GAC Relations and Marika Konings, Senior Director and Team Leader for the GNSO

Jeannie Ellers, Manager, GAC Coordination


8. GNSO Metrics & Reporting Drafting Team Submits Draft Charter to the GNSO Council

At a Glance

The GNSO Council approved the formation of a non-PDP Working Group (WG) that will explore opportunities regarding reporting and metrics recommendations that could better assist the policy-development process by enhancing fact-based decision-making.

A Drafting Team developed a draft Charter on the basis of the GNSO Working Group Guidelines taking into account the GNSO's Final Issue Report on Uniformity of Reporting. The Report recommended that the Working Group:

  • should review how the community can collaborate with contracted parties and other service providers to share complaint and abuse data that may help to further educate Registrants and Internet users when submitting complaints to relevant parties.

  • could investigate more formal processes for requests of data, metrics and other reporting needs from the GNSO that in turn may aid GNSO policy development processes.

Recent Developments

The Drafting Team for the GNSO Non-PDP Metrics & Reporting WG completed its draft of the charter [PDF, 413 KB] and has now submitted it to the GNSO Council for their consideration at is 23 Jan 2014 meeting.

Next Steps

The GNSO Council will deliberate and subsequently approve the WG's proposed charter. Subsequently, a call for WG volunteers will be announced to solicit participation from members of the community. It is expected the new WG will begin in February 2014.

Background

The 2010 Registration Abuse Policies Working Group (RAPWG) identified an issue relating to the Uniformity of Reporting which it described as "need for more uniformity in the mechanisms to initiate, track, and analyze policy-violation reports." The RAPWG recommended in its Final Report that "the GNSO and the larger ICANN community in general, create and support uniform [problem-] reporting [and report-tracking] processes."

The GNSO Council recommended the creation of an Issue Report [PDF, 1.5 MB] to further research metrics and reporting needs with the aim to improve the policy development process. The report created by ICANN Staff outlined accomplishments regarding reporting and metrics by the Contractual Compliance function and also reviewed other reporting sources that may be of relevance.

The GNSO Council subsequently adopted a recommendation to form a non-PDP Working Group tasked with exploring opportunities for developing reporting and metrics processes and/or appropriate standardized methodologies that could better inform fact-based policy development and decision making.

More Information

Staff Contact

Berry Cobb, ICANN


9. Call for ICANN Community Participants for New Drafting Team on Cross-Community Working Groups

At a Glance

The GNSO Council invites all interested ICANN community members, especially participants from other ICANN SO/ACs, to join a new cross-community drafting team to develop an operational framework to guide future cross-community work on issues of mutual interest.

Recent Developments

In October 2013, the GNSO Council approved a motion to form a Drafting Team, consisting of members from across all ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Councils (SO/ACs), to take forward preliminary groundwork done by a GNSO group that developed initial principles for the formation and operation of cross-community working groups (CWGs.) The ccNSO has provided feedback on the GNSO's draft initial principles, and the new cross-community DT – to be co-chaired by a representative each from the GNSO and the ccNSO – will use the initial principles and the ccNSO feedback to develop a final set of operating principles and guidelines to govern the formation, operation and dissolution of future CWGs.

Next Steps

SO/AC Chairs have been contacted to solicit participation. The new DT is scheduled to hold its first meeting at the end of January. Please contact the GNSO Secretariat at gnso-secs@icann.org to join the DT and its mailing list.

Background

With the likelihood that there will be an increasing number of issues of mutual interest across multiple ICANN SO/ACs, the GNSO convened a drafting team to begin development on a framework of operating principles for cross-community working groups (CWGs) in October 2011. The GNSO's drafting team proposed a set of initial principles for which feedback was sought from other ICANN SO/ACs in 2012. The ccNSO provided detailed feedback and suggested some additional questions to consider regarding, among other issues, the joint chartering and dissolution of such CWGs. The new DT will take forward the initial work of the GNSO's original drafting team on the issue and incorporate the ccNSO's feedback in developing a final set of CWG operating principles.

More Information

Staff Contact

Mary Wong, Senior Policy Director


At-Large

10. ALAC Breaks Previous Year's Record with 52 Policy Statements and Correspondence in 2013

At a Glance

The At-Large Advisory Committee has broken its 2012 record of 51 Policy Statements and notes of correspondence submitted with an all-time high of 52 in 2013.

In addition to the significant growth in the development of policy statements, the ALAC has also increasingly incorporated comments from the five Regional At-Large Organizations and their now 167 At-Large Structures.

The ALAC continues its development of Statements and Correspondence in 2014. The ALAC submitted five ALAC Policy Advice Statements and two Correspondence Communications submitted between early-December and early-January are summarized below.

Recent Developments

The five ALAC Policy Advice Statements and two Correspondence Communications submitted between early-December and early-January are summarized below.

ALAC Statement on the Proposed Bylaws Changes Regarding the Technical Liaison Group

  • The ALAC supports the intent of the proposed bylaw changes to increase the availability of technical advice to the Board as well as the effectiveness of the Technical Liaison Group. It is clear that the current modus operandi is not working and that it has not brought any benefit to ICANN in terms of advice. However, the ALAC is concerned that the order in which the changes are presented is out of line with the original recommendations of the Board technical relations WG findings.
  • The ALAC understands that the proposal is not to disband the TLG altogether but to remove the TLG position from the ICANN Board. ALAC calls on the ICANN Board to make sure, in the substitution of the TLG position in the Board, that it be structurally replaced by constant access to the necessary technical competence, not only through a structured, distance consultation.
  • The ALAC considers the actual elimination of the position of a technical liaison to the ICANN Board should not occur until, at least, a mechanism to seek regular advice from the Technical Liaison Group (TLG) be founded. This capability should be a permanent one and, provide for the ability of the technical constituencies to provide advice to the Board on an ongoing basis and not merely when requests are made.
  • The ALAC is concerned that the proposed changes in the ICANN Bylaws removes the TLG from appointing a delegate to the Nominating Committee. Given the concerns of having persons on the Board with sufficient technical expertise, this change should NOT be supported and the TLG should continue to be able to select a delegate to serve on the Nominating Committee.

ALAC Statement on the ccNSO FoI WG's Interim Report on "Revocation"

  • TheALAC congratulates the ccNSO Framework of Interpretation Working Group (FOIWG) on the outcome of its work to clarify the parameters governing the revocation of ccTLD delegation by the IANA Operator.
  • The ALAC strongly believes that clarity on revocation parameters as well as a clear and transparent process on the part of the IANA Operator are crucial to ensure that any act of revocation is carried out with accountability, transparency, sensitivity and care, and does not in any way disrupt the continued name resolution for Internet users.
  • The ALAC agrees with the Working Group's interpretation of RFC 1591, which provides for revocation as one of three mechanisms available to the IANA Operator.
  • ALAC further suggests the following to strengthen the interpretation work:
    • Specify further the appeals mechanism for the ccTLD manager in the case of revocation in section 4.3.7.3. Operationalization of the interpretation would be more efficient if there is greater clarity on the type and geographic jurisdiction of the "independent body" that would qualify for the appeals process.
    • Request IANA to maintain accurate and informative reports on cases of re-delegation and to record receipts of delegation transfer consent from the incumbent ccTLD manager so as to better distinguish clear revocation cases when IANA's performance is reviewed.

ALAC and LACRAO Correspondence as a Follow-Up About the Brasil Conference and 1net

  • This letter was sent by Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Chair of the ALAC, to Fadi Chehadé, ICANN President and CEO, as a follow-up about the Brazil Conference and 1net.

ALAC Correspondence on the Protection of IGO and INGO Identifiers in All gTLDs (PDP) Recommendations for Board Consideration

  • This letter was submitted as a Public Comment by Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Chair of the ALAC, regarding the Protection of IGO and INGO Identifiers in All gTLDs (PDP) Recommendations for Board Consideration.

ALAC Statement on the Study on Whois Misuse

  • The ALAC has studied the WHOIS Misuse Study commissioned by ICANN and executed by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University. ALAC notes the study has returned findings that align with individual experience of At-Large constituents plus the evidence of widespread occurrence has validated similar research undertaken by At-Large connected researchers.
  • The ALAC is aware that sectors in the ICANN community have weighed in on the results of this study, with one or other concerned questions on the methodology, size of dataset, geographic scope of study and/or the analysis of the data, all intended to undermine the findings. Nothing we have seen to date would have shaken our confidence in this baseline fact; WHOIS misuse is factual and widespread, as the evidence from 44% of sampled registrants across the several domains attest.
  • The ALAC will support any useful measure to abate misuse, including but not limited to WHOIS data anti-harvesting techniques.

ALAC Statement on the DNS Security & Stability Analysis Cross Community Working Group Report

  • The ALAC adopts the Report submitted by the co-chairs of the DSSA WG, as the Final Report of the DSSA WG in accordance with section 2.4 of its charter;
  • The Chair of the ALAC is requested to inform the ccNSO, GNSO, NRO and SSAC co-chairs of the DSSA WG of adoption of the Report by the ALAC;
  • The Chair of the ALAC is also requested to inform the chairs of the other participating SO's and AC's (GNSO, ccNSO, NRO and SSAC);
  • The ALAC agrees with, but notes with significant regret, the recommendation to not proceed with phase 2 as noted in the co-chair's letter; and
  • The ALAC thanks and congratulates all, and in particular the co-chairs of the WG: Olivier Crépin-LeBlond (ALAC), Joerg Schweiger (.DE, ccNSO), Mikey O'Connor (GNSO), James Galvin (SSAC) and Mark Kosters (NRO) and all volunteers and staff who helped with this effort.

ALAC Statement on the Request For Written Community Feedback – Geographic Regions Working Group Recommendations

  • The ALAC supports the recommendation for ICANN to adopt a more rigorous approach by re-defining a clear and consistent classification framework that assigns countries and territories to regions. Nevertheless, it would be helpful if the way and the criteria for such re-definition were suggested.
  • The ALAC strongly supports that ICANN must acknowledge the Sovereignty and right of self-determination of States to let them choose their region of allocation and request, if they so desire, a move to another geographic region.
  • When we speak about geography, we are speaking about regions, and the ALAC doesn't believe that the geographic regions could be in any case built on other consideration than the regional one. The cultural and linguistic diversity are important but can't impact the geographic regions framework. If we want it to be regions plus culture plus language, we have to call it diversity, not geographic regions.
  • The ALAC supports the recommendation to amend the bylaws to modify the present requirement for review of the Geographic Regions from three years period to five.

More Information

At-Large Correspondence page

At-Large Policy Development page

Staff Contact

Matt Ashtiani, Policy Specialist


11. Info Graphic – 2014 Schedule For The Board Director Selection by the ALAC/At Large Community

2014 Schedule For The Board Director Selection by the ALAC/At Large Community

12. Second At-Large Summit Preparations Underway

At a Glance

Over 160 At-Large Structures (ALSes) from around the world will gather in London at ICANN 50 for the second At-Large Summit (ATLAS II). The ATLAS II will allow the representatives of the At-Large community debate the key issues of interest related to ICANN, both policy and process and provide the opinion of the At-Large community physically present in the meeting about those issue. It will also allow ICANN to showcase the key role that the At-Large community plays within ICANN's bottom-up, consensus-drive multi-stakeholder model.

Recent Developments

The ATLAS II Organizing Committee approved the theme for ATLAS II: "Global Internet: The User Perspective." Plenary and breakout sessions will explore relevant topics identified by representatives of all ALSes related to policy development at ICANN and broader Internet governance issues.

Next Steps

The Public Relations working group is finalizing the thematic priorities for ATLAS II, and the Events working group is working on the final schedule. ALSes will soon confirm their representatives as well.

Background

The very successful first At-Large Summit was held in March 2009 at ICANN 34 in Mexico City. The Declaration that was produced during the first At-Large Summit provided a basis for the significant development of the At-Large community.

ATLAS II will strengthen the bottom-up structure of the At-Large community by building capacity and awareness of the 160+ ALSes. Moreover, ATLAS II will further develop the At-Large community's capacity for engagement in ICANN.

More Information

Staff Contact

Heidi Ullrich, Senior Director for At-Large
Carlos Reyes, Senior Policy Analyst


13. The At-Large Community Expands to 168– At-Large Structures

The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is in the process of certifying five organizations as At-Large Structures (ALSes): ISOC Kenya, Capital Area Globetrotters, ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka, ISOC Pakistan Islamabad, and ISOC Japan. These five new ALSes expand the regional diversity of the At-Large community, which represents thousands of individual Internet end-users. With the addition of these two new organizations, the number of accredited ALSes will now total 168.

Recent Developments

The ALAC is voting for the certification of ISOC Kenya, Capital Area Globetrotters, ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka, ISOC Pakistan Islamabad, and ISOC Japan as At-Large Structures (ALSes). The certification process included due diligence carried out by ICANN staff and regional advice provided by African Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO), by North American Regional At-Large Organization (NARALO) and Asian, Australasian and Pacific Islands Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO).

Additional information on the new and pending At-Large Structures:

ISOC Kenya is located in Nairobi– Kenya. The mission of ISOC Kenya includes, among others, to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people

throughout the world. This organization will be an ALS within AFRALO.

Capital Area Globetrotters is located in Washington DC, United States. The mission purpose of the Capital Area Globetrotters is to promote professional development and build community to foster participation and leadership in areas important to the evolution of the internet.This organization will be an ALS within NARALO.

ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mission of ISOC Bangladesh Dhaka includes, among others, to promote the use of Internet in every aspects of life and be supporting part of worldwide internet, standardization of internet from every prospect of use, infrastructure, awareness and its operation, as well as facilitating the governing body with policy recommendations and amendments at national level according to the global needs throughout the world.This organization will be an ALS within APRALO

ISOC Pakistan Islamabad is located in Islamabad, Pakistan. The mission of ISOC Pakistan focusses on protecting the open and innovative use of Internet, engaging and educating the next generation of Internet users and helping them shape the evolution of Internet, providing multi stakeholder forum for the exchange of views and experiences on Internet. This organization will be an ALS within APRALO

ISOC Japan is located in Tokyo, Japan. The mission of ISOC Japan includes Increasing the number of people who understand and support the Mission of the Internet Society by presenting its activities to the Japanese community, serving as a focal point for knowledge sharing and professional networking to Internet Society members that live in Japan, and educating and motivating next generation leaders who play an active role in the Internet community both inside and outside Japan.This organization will be an ALS within APRALO

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

Nathalie Peregrine, Policy staff support for At-Large


GAC

14. GAC and GNSO Launch Consultation Group on Early Engagement

At a Glance

The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) have jointly established a consultation group to explore ways for the GAC to engage early in the GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) and to improve overall cooperation between the two bodies (for example, by exploring the option of a liaison). The consultation group held its first meeting in December and is working on finalizing its proposed charter.

Background

The launch of this GAC-GNSO Consultation Group on Early Engagement is the result of discussions between the two entities at the ICANN meeting in Buenos Aires as well as previous ICANN meetings, reflecting a joint desire to explore and enhance ways of early engagement in relation to GNSO policy development activities. The issue was also specifically called out by both Accountability and Transparency Review Teams (ATRT).

ICANN receives input from governments through the 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 Public 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.

The GNSO is responsible for developing policies for generic Top-Level Domains (e.g., .com, .org, .biz). The GNSO strives to keep gTLDs operating in a fair, orderly fashion across one global Internet, while promoting innovation and competition. The GNSO uses the GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) to develop policy recommendations which, following approval, are submitted to the ICANN Board for its consideration.

More Information

GAC-GNSO Consultation Group on Early Engagement mailing list

Staff Contacts

Olof Nordling, Senior Director, GAC Relations and Marika Konings, Senior Director and Team Leader for the GNSO

Jeannie Ellers, Manager, GAC Coordination

update-jan14-en.pdf  [432 KB]

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."