Dear Councilors, On behalf of the VI PDP Working Group, I am pleased to inform you that the VI Working Group has published its Interim Report on Vertical Integration between Registrars and Registries (Phase I). This Interim Report describes the absence of a consensus within the VI Working Group for any recommendations for the first round of new gTLDs (Phase I of the PDP). With Phase I of the PDP complete, the VI Working Group intends to suspend its activities pending further instructions from the GNSO Council for conducting Phase II of the PDP, which is expected to focus on developing a long term solution for both new gTLD and existing gTLDs. Please note that due to its size, the Interim Report is posted on the WIKI page for the VI Working Group below, and will be posted on the GNSO Council website shortly. https://st.icann.org/vert-integration-pdp/index.cgi?vertical_integration_pdp Best Regards, Margie ____________ Margie Milam Senior Policy Counselor ICANN ____________