Dear IRT members,
Please find
here the updated Application Change Requests (ACRs)
language, which we will discuss during
meeting #112,
on 6 February at 19:00 UTC.
We have made some changes since we last
discussed the topic with the objective to streamline the
process and provide as much information as possible to
applicants regarding the different scenarios. We hope that
these updates are helpful.
What proved most difficult was finding ways
to make sure that the community has the opportunity to provide
their
input on RVCs and community registration policies at
the right time without delaying the processing of
applications, which is why we developed a separate workflow
for such changes.
In summary, we propose that the ACRs that
include RVCs and community registration policies will be
published for application comments
after the Registry Commitment Evaluation (RCE) is
concluded. This proposed approach allows the community to
provide their input on the ‘near final’ version of
RVC/community registration policy that reflects the agreed to
changes following negotiations between the applicant and ICANN
during the RCE, and not just on the originally submitted
version by the applicant that might not be approved by ICANN
and have to undergo substantive changes. Nevertheless, for
transparency and to ensure that community views are informed
by any changes that occurred during the RCEn, ICANN will also
publish the originally submitted RVC/ community registration
policy for the community to review and provide comments.
While we considered implementing this
process like other types of ACRs (i.e., open a comment period
before the RCE), we believe that the proposed approach is the
most efficient path forward that will avoid the expenditure of
community attention and resources to only
review and comment on originally submitted
commitments/policies that may not meet the criteria and, as
such, would not be approved for inclusion in the applicable
Registry Agreement if the application proceeds to delegation.
ICANN will review the comments on both the
‘near final’ and originally submitted versions of
commitments/policies and may re-initiate negotiations with the
applicant based on input received during the comment period.
However, if an RVC or community
registration policy is submitted as part of the initial
application, we propose to open the comment period
before the RCE. This is to ensure transparency by
publishing all relevant materials submitted during the initial
application on the reveal day (e..g, RVC/community
registration policy may only be a small part of the initial
application). If the applicant and ICANN agree to certain
changes to the commitment/policy during the RCE, the applicant
will have to submit an ACR to reflect those agreed to changes.
If the changes are material, another comment period will be
opened, giving the chance to the community to provide their
input on the ‘near final’ version of policy/commitment.
Looking forward to going through the
document tomorrow!
Best,
Ariel and Elisa