[council] Public Comments Requested on DNS Stability: The Effect of New gTLDs on the Internet Domain Name System

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http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-06feb08.htm
Public Comments Requested on DNS Stability: The Effect of New gTLDs on
the Internet Domain Name System

6 February 2008

DNS Stability: The Effect of New Generic Top Level Domains
on the Internet Domain Name System [PDF, 53K]

The ICANN community has recently completed a policy development process
regarding the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
This effort took place within ICANN’s Generic Names Supporting
Organization (GNSO) (see http://gnso.icann.org/) and resulted in a set
of recommendations (see
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/new-gtlds/pdp-dec05-fr-parta-08aug07.htm#_Toc43798015) 

to guide ICANN in introducing new gTLDs to the namespace.

In its recommendations, the GNSO concluded that "ICANN must implement a
process that allows the introduction of new top-level domains," and
called for a procedure respecting the principles of fairness,
transparency and non-discrimination. In preparing for the expected
implementation of the gTLD policy recommendations, staff is conducting
some review and analysis of the technical issues involved in this
development. The addition of gTLDs to the namespace is an expansion of
the DNS on a potentially large scale, to include many more names at the
top level. One of the policy recommendations developed in relation to
the introduction of new gTLDs included the requirement that "Strings
must not cause any technical instability." ICANN is publishing this
paper to solicit informed input on the technical issues relevant to the
addition of new gTLDs, and to provide transparency toward how it will
interpret and implement this recommendation. The goal is a clear set of
rules that will be available to potential new gTLD applicants; so that
it is known from the outset what tests will be applied to each application.

ICANN is seeking feedback on the proposed approach as a step in its
implementation planning for the introduction of new gTLDs. Comments may
be submitted to new-gtlds-dns-stability@xxxxxxxxx by March 7 2008.
Comments can be viewed at
http://forum.icann.org/lists/new-gtlds-dns-stability/.

For more information about the New gTLD Program, please go to
http://www.icann.org/topics/new-gtld-program.htm.
--
Glen de Saint Géry
GNSO Secretariat - ICANN
gnso.secretariat[at]gnso.icann.org
http://gnso.icann.org