[council] ICANN Seeks Input on gTLD Batching

[Bruce Tonkin <Bruce.Tonkin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ICANN News Alert

http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-29jul12-en.htm

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ICANN Seeks Input on gTLD Batching

29 July 2012

Opportunity for Community Input: Processing of New gTLD Applications

At the Prague ICANN meeting, the new gTLD Program Committee decided to 
terminate Digital Archery, and instructed ICANN staff to proceed with the 
initial evaluation of applications as quickly as possible. This evaluation is 
in progress based on a tentative project plan that foresees the processing of 
applications in a single batch, and simultaneous release of results. ICANN 
believes this approach is consistent with the constraints that various parts of 
the community have in performing their respective roles in the evaluation 
process, and with the feedback received from the community at the Prague 
meeting.

This comment opportunity seeks input on requirements for an evaluation and 
delegation process consistent with previous root zone scaling discussions of 
smooth delegations, adding no more than 1,000 new gTLDs per year. This outcome 
can be achieved by the:

        a. timing of the release of evaluation results to applicants,

        b. timing of the release of applications into the pre-delegation steps 
of contract execution and pre-delegation testing,

        c. metering of delegations of new gTLDs into the root zone.

ICANN is committed to executing the evaluation and delegation process in a way 
that is equitable and meets ICANN's commitment to ensuring the security and 
stability of the DNS, consistent with previously established root zone scaling 
goals.

Please write to newgtld-input@xxxxxxxxx with your input. Comments received by 
19 August 2012 (UTC 00:00) will be considered.

Background

The concept of batching has been a part of the Applicant Guidebook since its 
first draft. Batching accomplishes three goals:

        1. Better management of the evaluation process by placing an upper 
bound on the number of evaluators necessary and the number of parallel 
evaluations occurring at any one time.

        2. Release of evaluation results to applicants according to a 
predictable schedule.

        3. Delegation of TLDs at a rate acceptable to the technical community, 
consistent with the root zone scaling discussion.

Based on the definitive information that ICANN now has about the pool of 
applications, and work on the evaluations to date, this comment process seeks 
input to meet requirements for goals #2 and #3.

Leading up to and during ICANN's meeting in Prague, the applicant and community 
positions on requirements for batching schemes that would control the 
evaluation, communication and delegation of applications were reported to be:

        a. The batching solution has to be equitable.

        b. The evaluation results have to be announced at the same time.

        c. Successful applications should proceed to delegation phase without 
undue delays.

        d. Delegation to the root must be at a smooth rate and must not exceed 
1,000 per year.

        e. The GAC is planning to issue early warnings shortly after the 
Toronto ICANN meeting in October 2012.

        f. Consideration by the GAC of issues concerning GAC advice on 
contentious applications is not expected to be finalized before the Beijing 
meeting in April 2013.

During the root scaling discussion, it was agreed that ICANN would not delegate 
TLDs at a rate greater than 1,000 per year. This is because the primary 
challenge with maintaining root zone stability is controlling the rate of 
change to the root zone system and not the size of the root zone itself, 
meaning delegation should not occur at a rate of 1,000 delegations on a single 
day.

In Prague, the batching and prioritization method known as Digital Archery was 
terminated and eliminated from further consideration.

Recent Developments

Initial evaluation of new gTLD applications is underway.

Applications are being distributed to evaluators in a way that enables 
efficient processing.

ICANN has conducted pilot evaluations and had discussions with evaluators to 
accelerate the evaluation schedule. As a result of these discussions, the 
evaluation teams have committed to accelerate the evaluations substantially, 
while processing them in a single batch.

In Prague, a methodology was discussed where the smooth delegation of 
applications could occur by first releasing applications that passed initial 
evaluation without the need for clarifying questions, then releasing 
applications in order of the number of clarifying questions required, from 
fewest to highest. After analysis, this methodology proved unworkable because 
80% to 90% of the total evaluation time is required to form and ask clarifying 
questions, so little smoothing would result.

The current plan indicates that initial evaluation of all applications, 
processed in a "single batch", can be completed in 11-12 months, possibly less 
– resulting in publication of results in June-July 2013.

        Note: It is planned that regular updates to applicants during the 
evaluation period will be provided. In addition to written reports, ICANN is 
looking into the use of a webinar / conference call format to deliver updates.

For applicants, releasing results in a single batch would mean that the first 
delegations would occur in late third quarter of 2013, six months later than 
originally expected.

Implications of GAC timing:

        The GAC plans to "issue any Early Warnings shortly after the Toronto 
ICANN meeting, in October 2012," meaning that Early Warnings would be received 
within the currently planned single evaluation period.
        
        Also, the GAC "is considering the implications of providing any GAC 
advice on gTLD applications. These considerations are not expected to be 
finalized before the Beijing meeting in April 2013." This is shortly before the 
currently planned announcement of initial evaluation results (i.e., the 
schedule without additional accelerations beyond those stated above).

Statement of the Issue

While there will be some natural smoothing as applications take different paths 
through objections and contention resolution processes, there will still be a 
requirement for some method of metering applications into the delegation 
process. This is due to the relatively high number of applications that may 
reach pre-delegation steps at essentially the same time. A metering method has 
not yet been determined and will need to be developed.

Questions to be answered by comments

Submitted comments should specifically answer each of the following questions:

        1. Should the metering or smoothing consider releasing evaluation 
results, and transitioning applications into the contract execution and 
pre-delegation testing phases, at different times?

                a. How can applications be allocated to particular release 
times in a fair and equitable way?

                b. Would this approach provide sufficient smoothing of the 
delegation rate?

                c. Provide reasoning for selecting this approach.

        2. Should the metering or smoothing be accomplished by downstream 
metering of application processing (i.e., in the contract execution, 
pre-delegation testing or delegation phases)?

                a. How can applications be allocated to a particular timing in 
contract execution, pre-delegation testing, or delegation in a fair and 
equitable way?

                b. Provide reasoning for selecting this approach.

        3. Include a statement describing the level of importance that the 
order of evaluation and delegation has for your application.

Please write to newgtld-input@xxxxxxxxx with your input. Comments received by 
19 August 2012 (UTC 00:00) will be considered.