[ga] A Sustainable Framework For The Deployment Of New gTLDs - Part II

[Danny Younger <dannyyounger@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ross Rader wrote this article in 2003.  I agreed with
him then; I still agree with him now.

Excerpt:

"There are two parties that are critical to the
successful launch and operation of any gTLD?the party
that receives the delegation and the party that
operates the delegation. Sometimes these are the same
entity (as with .COM) and sometimes they are not (as
with .ORG). These two parties need a more visible role
in the process. Their function needs to be evolved so
that it is more meaningful and more sustainable. 

For the sake of simplicity, let?s call these two roles
?the Delegant? and ?the Operator??and try to avoid
confusing them with the existing terms, ?TLD Sponsor?
and ?Registry Operator?. Remember, our goal is to
evolve these rudimentary roles, not preserve them. 

Each of these roles has a central function in the
process?prospective delegants need to apply to ICANN
to receive a delegation for a gTLD string that has not
been previously delegated by ICANN. Applications by
prospective delegants will be dealt with by ICANN on a
first-come, first-served basis. Existing applicants
should receive similar first-come, first-served
priority. Operators are accredited by ICANN.
Successful Delegants will contract with, or become,
Operators. This pairing forms the basis for the
ongoing management of new gTLDs. 

The Operator is a technical coordinator that ensures
that the gTLD works from day to day. The Operator
develops and implements new standards, manages the
registration and publication function of the registry
and upholds a minimum standard of transactional and
technical integrity. Operators must be accredited by
ICANN in much the same fashion as registrars are. They
must receive their accreditation before they will be
allowed to technically manage a gTLD under contract
with a Delegant. The criteria for accreditation is
simple?it is the sum of minimum standards that it
takes to technically operate a registry?database
capability, protocol interoperability, zone file
publication, capability to escrow and so on. There
should be no policy limitations to the number of gTLDs
that an Operator can contract with a Delegant to
manage. 

The Delegant is the policy coordinator for the gTLD
that ensures that the registry operates in a manner
that benefits its target community. A Delegant should
be expected to behave as outlined in RFC 1591 if they
wish to be approved to receive a delegation. Delegants
will be approved based on simple and straightforward
criteria. 

1. The desired gTLD string must not be confusingly
similar to an existing gTLD string. For example, an
application for .C0M (c zero m) should not be
approved, nor should .NETWORK. This does not however
imply that a TLD must be uniquely distinct within the
namespace. The opportunity to operate .PER in
competition with .NAME or .BIZ in competition with
.COM must not be precluded by any criteria as it
represents one of the more compelling reasons why
expansion is desirable in the first place?competition
at all levels of the DNS is something that we should
strive for. gTLDs are no different. 
2. The Sponsor must present a balanced and reasonable
plan for the operation of the TLD that includes any
significant policies that affect the operation of the
gTLD. For instance, any limiting charters must be
noted up front. This is desirable because it provides
the community with important disclosure and allows for
community perceptions to be managed from a very early
date. 

3. The Sponsor must demonstrate that an accredited
Operator is willing to manage the technical function
of the TLD for a minimum specified period of time. 

4. The Sponsor must indicate their willingness to
forgo all rights and interest in the specific string
as it relates to the use of the string as a TLD. This
is especially important as it relates to ICANN?s
capability to transition a string to a new Sponsor.

It is not important that there be an identifiable link
between the target community for a particular gTLD and
the actual gTLD string (i.e. .NAME is for individuals,
but .NET is not for network operators). A Sponsor is
not accredited so much as they are approved. A Sponsor
can seek approval by filing an application to receive
a delegation for a string and paying an application
fee. The commercial relationship between a Delegant
and an Operator are a private matter but the
relationship must at least permit redelegation or
technical transition in the case of a business
failure. 

In order for this proposal to be successful, ICANN
needs to be willing to accredit as many Operators as
is necessary to manage the operations of the Delegants
that they approve. ICANN will also need to ensure that
the processes and criteria used to accredit the
Operators and approve the Delegants be as standardized
as possible. Lastly, some consideration of historical
precedent needs to be undertaken to ensure that this
proposal remains consistent with the practice and
goals of the community."

http://www.circleid.com/posts/a_sustainable_framework_for_the_deployment_of_new_gtlds_part_ii/





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