Re: [council] TOR for New gTLDs: Public Comments 6 Dec to 9 January
Having served on the task force that created the PDP, my clear recollection is that we believed that public comment only at the end of the process was inadequate. The reason for this was because, typically, at the end of the process, after the constituencies and task forces have developed something concrete, little room exists for additional revision or compromise. As a consequence, we added a special comment period at the beginning of the process to maximize the opportunity for the Internet community to have meaningful input. (Background information is here: http://www.icann.org/committees/evol-reform/npdpag-report-21aug02.htm) As our report stated: "We emphasize the importance of collecting information as part of the PDP. Whether via use of a task force or not, a primary goal of the PDP is to gather information and data from the global community and synthesize such data into reports that can be intelligently deliberated and, we hope, widely agreed upon." We concluded that public comment periods bookending the Council deliberations would increase the value of the public comments. So Bruce is correct: we are asking for substantive answers to the questions posted. These comments will be synthesized into an initial public comment report that will become part of the PDP record. I know that the ALAC intends to submit initial comments during this period.
Bret
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