Re: [NA-Discuss] LACTLD Statement

Garth, I am with you on this one and I am glad you raised this topic as well as the need for accountability. As someone who worked in the south pacific for many years and seen .tv taken away from the people of Tuvalu (greed by local government and foreign interests) I agree that ccTLDs are best used by their own people. The problem in the south pacific 10 years ago was that the internet was very young and most people did not know the value of a ccTLD and how it can be used for economic benefit as well as national identity. During my last visit to the south pacific and talking with people at the local univeristy I found that the younger generation now understand the importance and value of ccTLD's and also appalled at how their ccTLD had been robbed. A country like Tuvalu which is small could only negotiate a $50M deal for the .tv domain but I don't think the people of Tuvalu saw this money helping build their infrastructure. 

I support your efforts in full accounting of ccTLD ownership and accountability. ccTLD's should be guarded like currency of a nation.

Zaid Ali
President, Internet Society San Francisco Bay chapter
www.sfbayisoc.org
zaid@sfbayisoc.org

----- "Garth Bruen at KnujOn" <gbruen@knujon.com> wrote:

> It may have the blessing of the Moldovan Gov't but some of it's
> citizens
> may not appreciate the transfer especially if it is being misused and
> they get nothing for it and don't have access to it. If someone sold
> my
> birthright I wouldn't be happy.
> 
> Yes, each ccTLD gov't can do what they want it, but when goes to the
> .LA
> root site and can't even discern the original intent of the ccTLD,
> hasn't it lost its meaning? I'm of the belief that the ccTLDs are best
> used when used by their own people and controlled by their own
> governments, you disagree?
> 
> I'm trying to start with a full accounting of the ccTLD ownership and
> accountability. I realize there are many people out there who don't
> want
> to discuss the issue.
> 
> 
> > -------- Original Message --------
> > Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] LACTLD Statement
> > From: Antony Van Couvering <avc@avc.vc>
> > Date: Sun, October 04, 2009 2:29 pm
> > To: NA Discuss <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org>
> >
> >
> > It's a little difficult to know where to start with Mr. Bruen's list
> > -- it's wrong in several significant ways.
> >
> > .MD has been run by a group blessed by the Moldovan Gov't since
> 2003.  http://iana.org/reports/2003/md-report-22oct03.html
> >
> > .LA, while sold as "Los Angeles" (not very successfully) is run by
> > Laotian Gov't.  Presumably, they can do what they want with it,
> > including selling it to Angelinos.  
> http://iana.org/domains/root/db/la.html
> >
> > Assuming that a secondary DNS server located in the U.S. doesn't
> mean
> > that the TLD is "run from" the U.S., then just about all of the
> names
> > on this list are wrong.   Some on the list have no connection at all
> > to the U.S.  -- .AL - Albania, the first on the list, is an example.
> >
> > On the other hand, if "run from" means that the registry operations
> > are fully or partially located in the U.S., then there are some
> > missing.   Curiously, these missing ones have a theme -- they are
> run
> > by large registry incumbents:
> >
> > -- The ccTLDs for whom Afilias provides registry services are
> missing
> > (e.g., .MN, .VC) -- see http://www.afilias-grs.info/public/homepage
> > -- The ccTLDs for whom Neustar provides registry services are
> missing
> > (e.g., .US, .CO).
> > -- The ccTLDs for whom VeriSign provices registry services are
> missing
> > (e.g., .TV, .CC).
> >
> > Even the provision of registry services by these U.S.-based
> companies
> > does not mean that they are "run" from the U.S.  It just means that
> a
> > piece of technical infrastructure has been outsourced to them.
> >
> > Mr. Bruen's list is almost a mirror image of the reality.  There is
> no
> > U.S. involvement in .CU (Cuba).  There is no U.S. involvement in .LI
> > (Liechtenstein).   Or .NA (Namibia).  The list goes on and on.  
> This
> > can be verified by going through the IANA database, looking at who
> the
> > contacts are where the nameservers are.   
> http://iana.org/domains/root/db/
> >
> > Antony Van Couvering
> >
> >
> >
> > On Oct 3, 2009, at 1:04 PM, Garth Bruen at KnujOn wrote:
> >
> > > Thanks Danny,
> > >
> > >
> > > There are many ccTLDs not directly controlled by the actual
> country,
> > > some by choice, but maybe not if their citizens knew the whole
> story.
> > >
> > > Among the more egregious examples are Moldova (.MD) which is run
> by
> > > someone in New Jersey and used to market "medical professional"
> sites
> > > and Laos (.LA) which is used as the TLD for "Los Angeles", go the
> the
> > > .LA root site and there is nothing about Laos rather traffic and
> > > weather
> > > for Los Angeles.
> > >
> > >
> > > List of ccTLDs completely or partly run from the U.S.:
> > >
> > > Albania (.al)
> > > Andorra (.ad)
> > > Antarctica (.aq)
> > > Armenia (.am)
> > > Azerbaijan (.az)
> > > Bahamas (.bs)
> > > Botswana (.bw)
> > > Canada (.ca)
> > > Catalonia (.cat)
> > > Central African Republic (.cf)
> > > Chile (.cl)
> > > Christmas Island (.cx)
> > > Costa Rica (.cr)
> > > Cuba (.cu)
> > > Cyprus (.cy)
> > > East Timor(.tl)
> > > Egypt (.eg)
> > > Fiji (.fj)
> > > Ghana (.gh)
> > > Guinea (.gn)
> > > Guyana (.gy)
> > > Haiti (.ht)
> > > Heard Island and McDonald Islands (.hm)
> > > Hong Kong (.hk)
> > > Iceland (.is)
> > > Israel (.il)
> > > Kiribati (.ki)
> > > Lebanon (.lb)
> > > Lesotho (.ls)
> > > Lesotho (.ls)
> > > Liberia (.lr)
> > > Liechtenstein (.li)
> > > Malawi (.mw)
> > > Maldives (.mv)
> > > Mali (.ml)
> > > Malta (.mt)
> > > Mauritius (.mu)
> > > Moldova (.md)
> > > Montserrat (.ms)
> > > Namibia (.na)
> > > Nauru (.nr)
> > > Nepal (.np)
> > > Netherlands (.nl)
> > > Nigeria (.ng)
> > > Palestine (.ps)
> > > Philippines (.ph)
> > > Pitcairn Islands (.pn)
> > > Portugal (.pt)
> > > Puerto Rico (.pr)
> > > Saudi Arabia (.sa)
> > > Serbia (.rs)
> > > Solomon Islands (.sb)
> > > South Africa (.za)
> > > South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (.gs)
> > > Sri Lanka (.lk)
> > > Swaziland (.sz)
> > > Switzerland (.ch)
> > > Tanzania (.tz)
> > > Thailand (.th)
> > > Trinidad and Tobago (.tt)
> > > Tunisia (.tn)
> > > Ukraine (.ua)
> > > United Arab Emirates (.ae)
> > > Uruguay (.uy)
> > > Venezuela (.ve)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >> -------- Original Message --------
> > >> Subject: [NA-Discuss] LACTLD Statement
> > >> From: Danny Younger <dannyyounger@yahoo.com>
> > >> Date: Tue, September 29, 2009 7:15 am
> > >> To: na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> [excerpted from the governance list]
> > >>
> > >> LACTLD Statement on ccTLD. HN situation
> > >>
> > >> To the international community
> > >>
> > >> By this note, we would like to inform the international community
> > >> about
> > >> the current situation in the ccTLD .HN, which is managed by
> RDS-HN,
> > >> associated member of LACTLD , organization that informs us about
> this
> > >> situation.
> > >>
> > >> The current Honduran government has informed RDS-HN that it must
> hand
> > >> over the ccTLD operation due to Article 79B of the Reglament of
> the
> > >> Telecommunications Act (of the year 2002). This rule says that
> > >> "CONATEL
> > >> controls the regulation and administration of the domains and IP
> > >> directions within the national territory. CONATEL will be able to
> > >> take
> > >> the necessary measures so that the administration of domains and
> IP
> > >> addresses can be executed through from other public or private
> > >> institutions, for which agreements will be signed and the
> > >> corresponding
> > >> regulations will be issued."
> > >>
> > >> Last Friday, and based in the above-mentioned article, national
> > >> authorities arrived at the ccTLD. hn office stating: "Until now,
> > >> CONATEL
> > >> has not signed any agreement with any public or private entity.
> > >> Therefore it is necessary to order the institution, which has
> been
> > >> managing and delegating domains. HN, to suspend the management
> > >> immediately, given that it develops outside the provisions of
> Article
> > >> 79B of the Reglament of the Framework Law for Telecommunications
> > >> Sector". In the same way, they order ccTLD .HN "1. To immediately
> > >> suspend all activities related to registration and delegation of
> new
> > >> domain names under the domain .HN, and 2. To hand a list of
> > >> domains .HN
> > >> and records, that the institution have been conferred, to
> CONATEL."
> > >>
> > >> The Red de Desarrollo Sostenible - RDS (Sustainable Development
> > >> Network)
> > >> http://www.rds.org.hn maintains the operation of ccTLD. hn since
> > >> April
> > >> 1993, date when this organization received this delegation and,
> in
> > >> July
> > >> 2006, signed an Accountability Framework with ICANN
> > >> (http://www.icann.org/en/cctlds/hn/hn-icann-af-20jul06.pdf),
> which
> > >> explicitly recognizes that relationship and work. Furthermore,
> RDS is
> > >> also a leading civil society organization that facilitates
> > >> connectivity
> > >> to Honduras as well as provides various tools and services to the
> > >> community of Honduras and Central America and, for this reason,
> RDS
> > >> is
> > >> being recognized as a pioneer in the region.
> > >>
> > >> The management and operation of the DNS follow internationally
> > >> accepted
> > >> and recognized processes, primarily based on RFC 1591 . Because
> of
> > >> the
> > >> stability importance of the Internet global system and ccTLD
> work,
> > >> RDS
> > >> is due to its local and international community on the Internet.
> > >>
> > >> In addition, we indicate that the action that tries to carry out
> > >> CONATEL
> > >> is against of the constitutional guarantees and the guarantees of
> the
> > >> Pact of San José de Costa Rica. Therefore, it violates the
> > >> relationship
> > >> that has been conducted peacefully and technically efficient and
> is
> > >> based on existing contractual agreements and relationships.
> > >>
> > >> LACTLD expresses its strong concern regarding the events that
> have
> > >> unfolded in the request made by the Government of Honduras to
> take
> > >> in a
> > >> sudden and abrupt way the operation .HN due to the fact that it
> > >> will be
> > >> detrimental to the users of domain name system in Honduras which
> > >> primarily require stability for the adequate access of Internet
> > >> resources.
> > >>
> > >> LACTLD is committed with its partners and members, and primarily
> > >> seeks
> > >> to maintain the stability of the Domain Name System for the
> correct
> > >> running of the Internet. We hope that the wisdom will prevail
> between
> > >> two sides in order to solve this delicate situation.
> > >>
> > >> Sincerely,
> > >>
> > >> Council of LACTLD
> > >> Latin American and Caribbean ccTLD Association
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
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