News Alert

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22mar10-en.htm

Proposed Implementation Plan for Synchronized IDN ccTLDs

22 March 2010

ICANN is pleased to announce the public comment period for the proposed Implementation Plan for Synchronized IDN ccTLDs [PDF, 440K]. Synchronized IDN ccTLDs are described by situations in the Fast Track Process where:

• IDN ccTLDs are requested in more than one official language or script in a country/territory,
• the requests for corresponding multiple strings are considered equivalent and delegation would solve a significant problem for Internet users, and
• users accessing domains under any of the equivalent IDN ccTLDs expect that such domains will resolve to the same address or value.

If approved by the ICANN Board, the proposed implementation plan and process will be available for IDN ccTLD requests for synchronized IDN ccTLDs that have completed the String Evaluation step in the Fast Track Process.

Following successful completion of the evaluation process, the requesters may initiate delegation of the synchronized IDN ccTLDs by following ICANN's standard processes for TLD delegation, through the IANA function.

The implementation plan is based on a set of principles created by the Equivalent Strings Working Group (ES-WG) that was formed by the ICANN Board at the Nairobi meeting. The ES-WG was formed to review the issue relating to synchronized IDN ccTLDs, and develop a framework to guide development of the synchronized implementation plan. The ES-WG remains available for consultation during consideration of this plan.

The Proposed Implementation Plan is posted for public comments through 13 April 2010, after which it will be provided the ICANN Board for their considerations at their meeting on 22 April 2010.

Comments can be submitted at sync-idn-cctlds@icann.org and reviewed at http://forum.icann.org/lists/sync-idn-cctlds.

General information about ICANN's IDN Program can be found here: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/

The Final Implementation Plan for the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process can be found here: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/idn-cctld-implementation-plan-16nov09-en.pdf

The IDNC Final report can be found here: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-26jun08-en.htm

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