Consultation on ccTLD Delegation and Redelegation User Instructions and Source of Policy and Procedures

This consultation has concluded.

Consultation Objective

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions contract (SA1301-12-CN-0035) between ICANN and the United States Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to maintain the continuity and stability of services related to certain interdependent Internet technical management functions, known collectively as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority calls for a public consultation from all interested and affected parties to help satisfy the following objective:

C.2.6 Transparency and Accountability — [No later than 1 October 2013], the Contractor shall develop performance standards, in collaboration with all interested and affected parties as enumerated in Section C.1.3, develop user instructions including technical requirements for each corresponding IANA function and post via a website.
C.2.7 Responsibility and Respect for Stakeholders – [No later than 1 October 2013], the contractor shall, in collaboration with all interested and affected parties as enumerated in Section C.1.C, develop for each of the IANA functions a process for documenting the source of the policies and procedures and how it will apply the relevant policies and procedures for the corresponding IANA function and post via a website.

This consultation involves the delegation and redelegation of Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) requests described in the IANA functions contract as the following:

C.2.9.2.c Delegation and Redelegation of a Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) - The Contractor shall apply existing policy frameworks in processing requests related to the delegation and redelegation of a ccTLD, such as RFC 1591 Domain Name System Structure and Delegation, the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Principles And Guidelines For The Delegation AND Administration Of Country Code Top Level Domains, and any further clarification of these policies by interested and affected parties as enumerated in Section C.1.3. If a policy framework does not exist to cover a specific instance, the Contractor will consult with the interested and affected parties, as enumerated in Section C.1.3; relevant public authorities and governments on any recommendation that is not within or consistent with an existing policy framework. In making its recommendations, the Contractor shall also take into account the relevant national frameworks and applicable laws of the jurisdiction that the TLD registry serves. The Contractor shall submit its recommendations to the COR via a Delegation and Redelegation Report.

This consultation

This consultation presents the source of policies and a draft set of user instructions for ccTLD delegation and redelegation requests that ICANN processes.

This consultation requests input from the community on the user documentation for delegation and redelegation of a ccTLD.

Background

Country-code top-level domains are top-level domains (TLDs) designated for a particular country or territory to serve their community. The process of delegating and redelegation these domains is conducted according to a number of principles found in documents such as RFC 1591 (http://www.iana.org/go/rfc1591) and the GAC Principles.

The ISO 3166-1 standard is used to determine which countries are eligible for ccTLDs, and is published by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (http://www.iso.org/iso/country_codes). Countries listed in the ISO 3166-1 standard are eligible for their "alpha-2" code while represented in that standard. Certain countries may also be eligible for non-Latin IDN country-code top-level domains through the ICANN’s IDN Fast Track process.

Once a country code is assigned in ISO 3166-1 and/or string eligibility has been determined through the ICANN’s IDN Fast Track process, prospective managers of the domain may apply to ICANN for delegation. For existing ccTLDs, the process for changing the designated manager(s) of a ccTLD is known as redelegation.

Processes for ccTLD Delegations and Redelegations

The steps for delegation and redelegation involve preparation of a request form, plus the provision of supporting documentation to show that the request meets the eligibility criteria. ICANN uses this information to corroborate the delegation or redelegation request. This documentation includes:

  • Information showing the request serves the local interest in the country;
  • Documentation demonstrating the technical and administrative capabilities of the organization receiving the delegation;
  • A description of the legal status of the organization;
  • The names of contacts in any in-country government agencies who have a say in the delegation/redelegation;
  • A detailed description of how existing ccTLD operations will be transferred to the proposed new operator, in the case of a redelegation;
  • Documentation showing that the new operator will operate the domain in a fair and equitable manner; and
  • The approvals of the current contacts for the TLD, in the case of a redelegation.

Proposed User Instructions for Requesting ccTLD Delegations and Redelegations

The draft documentation provides user instructions for requesting a ccTLD delegation or a ccTLD redelegation along with details about the technical requirements. We are seeking your input and comment on this documentation.

Consultation Questions

ICANN is seeking feedback on the draft user instructions for the IANA Function related to ccTLD delegations and redelegations. Comments are welcome on any aspect of the User Instructions, and specifically on the following questions:

  1. Do the User Instructions clearly provide instructions on how to request a ccTLD delegation or redelegation?
  2. Do the User Instructions clearly describe the steps for processing a ccTLD delegation and redelegation?
  3. Do you have additional suggestions as to what may be missing from the User Instructions?
  4. By what process should ICANN notify the community when there are revisions made to the User Instructions?
  5. Does the community think it would be useful for ICANN to publish additional documentation such as a Knowledge Base with help articles and/or a list of Frequently Asked Questions as a companion to the User Instructions?