[ispcp] ISPCP Statement on Issues Report for Proposed Registry Services

["Mark McFadden" <ireland@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding the Proposed Issues Report on Registry Services
Internet Service Providers and Connectivity Providers Constituency

The ISPCP Constituency has a direct connection with a significant body of
Internet stakeholders.  Our customers - those people connected to the
Internet - are the people and organizations most affected by unexpected
changes in the Internet.  This includes the introduction of new or modified
registry services.  Naturally, the ISPCP constituency needs to be a
significant contributor to the Registry Services PDP process.
 
ISPs are in a unique position to help guide policy development on new
registry services. As those who have been largely responsible for the
stability of the Internet, we believe that it is vitally important that the
GNSO and its Council balance the need to move quickly on potential registry
services while carefully thinking through operational and legal impacts of
any recommendations. Our constituency actively supports the principle of
maintaining the stability that the Internet has always enjoyed. 

Specifically, we believe that there is a requirement for technical, security
and stability reviews for any newly proposed registry service.  In addition,
we believe that any significant change to registry services - that
significantly changes or alters fundamental functions of DNS related
services - should also be subject to an explicit, public, and extensive
security, stability and technical review.

No other group in the GNSO is as well positioned as the ISPCP to coordinate
the technical evaluation of the protocol and operational impacts of a
proposed change to registry services.  Our constituency works daily with
both the protocol standards that make the DNS work and is fully aware of the
operational issues that are not part of the protocols, but which are
embedded in the operational behavior of Internet protocols and services. 

Fundamentally, our constituency believes that:

"	No new registry service should be introduced without an explicit,
public evaluation of its technical, stability and security implications;
"	No significant changes to registry services should take place that
have the potential to significantly change the behaviour of underlying
Internet services;
"	The ISPCP constituency should be a central contributor to any
discussion of the technical implications of the introduction of new registry
services;
"	All constituencies should be bound by the "principle of least
astonishment" in the development of new services that affect the foundation
protocols of the Internet; and,
"	All participants in GNSO constituencies should be bound by
principles of operational security and stability for the Internet's user
community.

The ISP community must be a central part of the PDP process and any process
that evaluates any future registry service offerings.  If the ISPCP is not
an explicit participant in the process, they must be able to participate by
identifying appropriate expert analysts who can represent the operational
interests of ISPs.

On behalf of the ISPCP Constituency,

Mark McFadden
ISPCP Secretariat