Dear All, As noted in the agenda previously distributed, staff expects to cover the full set of GNSO recommendations at this week's meeting, reviewing the vision, planning, work, and most recent accomplishments for each. In advance of this, please see below a list of areas on which staff is particularly interested in input from the Council. Input is welcomed of course on any aspect of implementation, but staff has identified the following items for which Council input would be particularly desirable. Please note that Friday's meeting will not be the only opportunity for the Council and constituencies to provide input on these topics. The below are intended to serve as pointers to some areas to have in mind leading up to the next discussion. Allocation Methods (Recs 7,8,13) 1. RFP Information Could there be additional purposes to the information sought by ICANN in the application, beyond assessment against the criteria? Could applicant information be used for purposes such as compliance or sanctions, long-term registry stability, others? 2. Community-Based Applications If applicants may identify themselves up front as community-based applicants, and they have the option to select and subject other applicants to comparative evaluation, is it the intention that these applicants would have an advantage, and if so, can this be harmonized with principles of fairness and non-discrimination? This area may present challenges of perception, as there is likely to be significant diversity within the category of community-based applications. 3. Technical Service Provider Qualification ICANN has explored the idea of a separate qualification mechanism for "back-end" registry service providers (see http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-31jan08.htm). Does the GNSO believe that such a mechanism would be consistent with the principles and recommendations they have laid out? If so, what would be an appropriate contractual or accountability framework between these providers and ICANN? 4. Communications and Transitions between Application Rounds a. There are different paths for applications and timing will vary for these different paths. What is the appropriate measurement for when the first round is complete and a second can begin? When all applications to have reached their final resolution? Or can ICANN at some point create a "temporary reserved list" for any still-pending applications, excluding these from the next rounds? b. Given the GNSO's desire for the RFP to include scheduling information on subsequent rounds, what is an appropriate time frame for incorporating improvements from experience in Round 1 into the process, and how does this impact the timeline for future rounds? 5. Comparative Evaluation Criteria What are some examples of criteria that could be used for reviewing added value to the DNS, when there are two or more qualified applicants for the same string? As a starting point, see the "Community Value" criteria used in the sTLD round, http://www.icann.org/tlds/stld-apps-19mar04/PostAppA.pdf. Selection Criteria (Recs 2,3,4,5,6,12,20) 1. Objection Results If an application is denied by ICANN due to an objection prevailing against the string, does this carry over to subsequent rounds so that no future applicants could apply for that string? Could this vary depending on the different objection grounds? 2. File Extensions There has been an ongoing discussion concerning whether strings that are commonly-used file extensions should be disallowed as TLDs due to potential user confusion issues. Should there be any additional consideration of this issue following a set of public comments on this subject (see http://forum.icann.org/lists/new-gtlds-dns-stability/msg00014.html)? 3. Geographical Names Geographical names are not reserved, as per the RNWG recommendations. How can ICANN to handle applications for these names in a way that will address the GAC's concerns about country, territory, and place names (http://gac.icann.org/web/home/gTLD_principles.pdf)? Contractual Conditions (Recs 10,14,15,16,17,18,19) 1. Contract Variations Should there be a one-size fits all contract or could there be different contracts available depending on the type of applicant (private company, IGO, government)? I hope these questions are useful to you in your preparations. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Best regards, Karen - Karen Lentz ICANN +1 310 301 5836 office +1 310 895 3637 mobile