Report on the Redelegation of the .BN domain representing Brunei Darussalam to Brunei Darussalam Network Information Centre Sdn Bhd (BNNIC)

13 April 2015

This report is being provided under the contract for performance of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) function between the United States Government and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Under that contract, ICANN performs the “IANA functions”, which include receiving delegation and redelegation requests concerning TLDs, investigating the circumstances pertinent to those requests, making its recommendations, and reporting actions undertaken in connection with processing such requests.

Factual Information

Country

The “BN” ISO 3166-1 code is designated for use to represent Brunei Darussalam.

Chronology of events

The .BN top-level domain was first delegated in 1994 to Jabatan Telekom Brunei, the telecommunications operator at the time serving under the Ministry of Communications at the time.

In 2006, a restructure of JBT formed the Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) and the Authority for info-communications Technology Industry (AITI) of Brunei Darussalam.. In this restructure, TelBru was named a successor company to JBT. The purpose was to segregate the service provider and the regulatory function.

The .BN TLD managers then requested an update to the IANA Root Zone Database to update the sponsoring organization name to Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru). TelBru is the currently designated manager for the .BN top-level domain as described in the IANA Root Zone Database.

Under the Constitution of Brunei Darussalam (Order under section 83(3)), the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) has the power to “promote the use of the Internet and electronic commerce and to establish regulatory frameworks for that purpose”. Under the Second Schedule of the AITI Order 2001, AITI has the power “to authorize or regulate the registration, administration and management of domain names in Brunei Darussalam”.

TelBru, together with AITI, have been serving as the service provider and regulatory authority for .BN since 2006. In 2012, AITI developed the overall policies, frameworks and guidelines to enhance the management of .BN domain names in Brunei Darussalam. These policies were then put through a public consultation in September 2012 and were well received by the local community.

Subsequently in 2013, AITI created a new private entity “Burnei Darussalam Network Information Centre Sdn Bhd (BNNIC)” to act as the proposed new registry for .BN. BNNIC and AITI then called for an open tender to design and build a robust technical and transfer plan to manage .BN.

Following the completion of technical and transfer plans, BNNIC commenced a request to ICANN for the redelegation of the .BN top-level domain on 24 May 2014.

Proposed Sponsoring Organisation and Contacts

The proposed sponsoring organization is Brunei Darussalam Network Information Centre Sdn Bhd (BNNIC), a private entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of the AITI. The AITI authorizes BNNIC Sdn Bhd to undertake the registration, administration and management of domain names in Brunei Darussalam.

The proposed administrative contact is Mohammad Norelham bin Haji Zaini, Domain Administrator at BNNIC. The administrative contact is understood to be based in Brunei Darussalam.

The proposed technical contact is Aliffian bin Haji Awang Damit, Technical Support at BNNIC.

Evaluation of the Request

String Eligibility

The top-level domain is eligible for continued delegation under ICANN policy, as it is the assigned ISO 3166-1 two-letter code representing Brunei Darussalam.

Public Interest

Support for the application to redelegate the domain was provided by Haji Yahkup Bin Haji Menudin, Chief Executive Officer of AITI.

Additional statements in support of this redelegation were provided by the following:

Sairul Rhymin C.A. Mohamed, Chief Operations Officer of TelBru, the current sponsoring organization for .BN, and
Haslina Haji Mohd Taib, Deputy Chair of InfoCom Federation Brunei, a non-profit national body made up of locally accredited ICT businesses that conduct business within and outside Brunei Darussalam.

The application is consistent with known applicable local laws in Brunei Darussalam.

The proposed sponsoring organization undertakes responsibility to operate the domain in a fair and equitable manner.

Based in country

The proposed sponsoring organization is constituted in Brunei Darussalam. The proposed administrative contact is understood to be resident in Brunei Darussalam. The registry is to be operated in the country.

Stability

The request is deemed uncontested, with the currently listed sponsoring organization consenting to the transfer.

A transfer plan was provided by BNNIC for the redelegation of .BN to mitigate risks relating to Internet stability.

Competency

The application has provided satisfactory details on the technical and operational infrastructure and expertise that will be used to operate the .BN domain. Proposed policies for management of the domain have also been tendered.

Evaluation Procedure

ICANN is tasked with coordinating the Domain Name System root zone as part of a set of functions governed by a contract with the U.S. Government. This includes accepting and evaluating requests for delegation and redelegation of top-level domains.

A subset of top-level domains are designated for the local Internet communities in countries to operate in a way that best suits their local needs. These are known as country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and are assigned by ICANN to responsible trustees (known as “Sponsoring Organisations”) that meet a number of public-interest criteria for eligibility. These criteria largely relate to the level of support the trustee has from its local Internet community, its capacity to ensure stable operation of the domain, and its applicability under any relevant local laws.

Through ICANN’s IANA department, requests are received for delegating new ccTLDs, and redelegating or revoking existing ccTLDs. An investigation is performed on the circumstances pertinent to those requests, and, when appropriate, the requests are implemented and a recommendation for delegation or redelegation is made to the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Purpose of evaluations

The evaluation of eligibility for ccTLDs, and of evaluating responsible trustees charged with operating them, is guided by a number of principles. The objective of the assessment is that the action enhances the secure and stable operation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems.

In considering requests to delegate or redelegate ccTLDs, input is sought regarding the proposed new Sponsoring Organisation, as well as from persons and organisations that may be significantly affected by the change, particularly those within the nation or territory to which the ccTLD is designated.

The assessment is focussed on the capacity for the proposed sponsoring organisation to meet the following criteria:

The domain should be operated within the country, including having its sponsoring organisation and administrative contact based in the country.
The domain should be operated in a way that is fair and equitable to all groups in the local Internet community.
Significantly interested parties in the domain should agree that the prospective trustee is the appropriate party to be responsible for the domain, with the desires of the national government taken very seriously.
The domain must be operated competently, both technically and operationally. Management of the domain should adhere to relevant technical standards and community best practices.
Risks to the stability of the Internet addressing system must be adequately considered and addressed, particularly with regard to how existing identifiers will continue to function.

Method of evaluation

To assess these criteria, information is requested from the applicant regarding the proposed sponsoring organisation and method of operation. In summary, a request template is sought specifying the exact details of the delegation being sought in the root zone. In addition, various documentation is sought describing: the views of the local internet community on the application; the competencies and skills of the trustee to operate the domain; the legal authenticity, status and character of the proposed trustee; and the nature of government support fort he proposal. The view of any current trustee is obtained, and in the event of a redelegation, the transfer plan from the previous sponsoring organisation to the new sponsoring organisation is also assessed with a view to ensuring ongoing stable operation of the domain.

After receiving this documentation and input, it is analysed in relation to existing root zone management procedures, seeking input from parties both related to as well as independent of the proposed sponsoring organisation should the information provided in the original application be deficient. The applicant is given the opportunity to cure any deficiencies before a final assessment is made.

Once all the documentation has been received, various technical checks are performed on the proposed sponsoring organisation’s DNS infrastructure to ensure name servers are properly configured and are able to respond to queries correctly. Should any anomalies be detected, ICANN staff will work with the applicant to address the issues.

Assuming all issues are resolved, an assessment is compiled providing all relevant details regarding the proposed sponsoring organisation and its suitability to operate the relevant top-level domain.