Dear At Large

Please take notice of the communication from the ccNSO Chairman below. IDNs are a very important issue, especially to the individual internet user who uses other scripts. The At Large also has a working group on IDNs, chaired by Hong Xue, and you are encouraged to join. At Large IDN Policy work can be found at https://st.icann.org/alac/index.cgi?idn_policy_formation

Thanks

Jacqueline A. Morris

ALAC Chair

 

 

Greetings Jacqueline,

 

As you are aware, the ICANN Board resolved in San Juan on 29 June 2007, inter alia, that the ICANN community including the GNSO, ccNSO, GAC, and ALAC continue to work collaboratively, taking the technical limitations and requirements into consideration, to explore both an interim and an overall approach to IDN ccTLDs associated with the ISO 3166-1 two-letter codes and recommend a course of action to the Board in a timely manner.

 

Since San Juan, the ccNSO Council has undertaken a considerable program of work to determine the best way to respond to the Board’s request. 

 

Overall approach

At a meeting on 12 September 2007, in accordance with ICANN bylaws, the ccNSO Council requested an Issue Report be prepared to establish whether the ccNSO should launch a PDP to develop the policy for the selection and delegation of IDN ccTLDs associated with the ISO 3166-1 two letter codes.  In preparing the Issue Report the Issue Manager (Bart Boswinkel) should take into account the joint ccNSO GAC Issues Paper, the technical limitations and requirements, and any other matters that the Issues Manager considers to be of relevance.  The Issues Report is the first step in the process of launching ccPDP and at large input will be sought throughout the preparation of the Report. Should a ccPDP be launched following the Issues Report, the ccNSO will seek to work closely with the at large community.

 

Interim approach

The ccNSO Council agreed that the first step in considering an interim approach should be to determine the extent of the pressing need claimed by some in the community.  On 5 October 2007 I sent a letter to all ccTLD managers seeking answers to three questions.  I anticipate that the responses to this letter will provide guidance as to whether an interim fast-track approach to enable the introduction of a limited number of IDN ccTLDs is a desirable and necessary step.

 

As there is no pre-defined process to deal with such an interim approach, the ccNSO has released two discussion documents (attached) regarding a possible interim approach to IDN ccTLDs.  The Designing an Interim Approach document considers how an interim approach could be managed and canvasses time lines.  The Charter IDNC document is a first draft of what the charter for an interim approach committee might look like.  The principle of having an interim approach, the results of my letter to ccTLD managers, and these two documents will be discussed by the ccNSO in Los Angeles.

 

As you will appreciate there is some urgency to resolve the issue of an interim approach and this is why the ccNSO is working to a tight schedule.  I would hope, in the event that an interim fast-track approach can be developed to enable the deployment of a limited number of IDN ccTLDs into the root, that the timing for this be closely aligned with the release of gTLD IDNs.

 

I shall be grateful if you will forward this email to the ALAC, At Large and RALO lists for their information.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Chris Disspain

Chair – ccNSO

 

 

 

 

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