ICANNccTLD Agreements: Why and How

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ICANN/ccTLD Agreements Why and How

• Andrew McLaughlin
• Monday, January 21, 2002
• TWNIC

2
ICANN and the USG

• Memorandum of Understanding
• Joint ICANN-USG project
• Manage transition to
• USG --gt International
• USG --gt Private
• USG --gt Not-for-profit public interest
• Checklist of tasks
• IANA Agreement
• Continue management of IANA functions
• USG --gt ICANN for financial responsibility
• Names, numbers, and protocol parameters
• CRADA
• Improvements to Root Name Server System

3
MOU Checklist

• Contribute technical advice and expertise on
  private-sector management.
• Implement procedures
• Reconsideration process
• Independent review process
• Uniform dispute resolution process for gTLDs
• Introduce competition in domain name registration
  services for gTLDs
• Establish DNS Root Server System Advisory
  Committee (RSSAC)
• Facilitate global participation in the
  formulation of policies
• Develop appropriate membership and participation
  mechanisms
• Launch new gTLDs
• Implement address registry (RIR) agreements
• Implement root server agreements
• Implement ccTLD agreements

4
MOU Principles

• Ensure DNS stability (paramount)
• Promote competition
• Promote participation, openness and transparency
• Promote diversity

5
ICANN and Governments

• Governments
• One of stakeholders in ICANN
• Global and national Internet community
• Promotes and protects
• Public interest
• Commerce, consumers, individuals, etc.
• Last resort for concerned institutions,
  individuals etc
• Governments will step in if necessary
• ICANNs Government Advisory Committee (GAC)
• Stakeholder representative

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ICANN and Root Name Server Operators

• Root Name Server System Advisory Committee
• All root server operators plus and including
  ICANN
• RSSAC advises ICANN Board on
• Operational issues
• Security considerations
• Number, location, and distribution
• ICANNs Role
• Oversees and coordinates
• But does not operate
• Except for L-root
• ICANN responsible for the Authoritative Root Zone
  File
• Stably and securely
• CRADA report
• Transfer of Authoritative Update Function to ICANN

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ICANN and ccTLDs
8
ccTLD Managers Today
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Global vs Local Policies

• Local policy
• Structure second level domains and beyond
• Who can register
• Price
• Dispute policy
• Prohibited names
• Marketing channels

• Global Policy
• Delegation
• Redelegation
• Technical Standards
• Interoperability

ccTLD manager
Local Internet Community Local policy Organized
by the ccTLD Manager
Global InternetCommunity Global
Policy Organized by ICANN
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Trusteeship (ICANN)

• RFC 1591 (Jon Postel)
• Concerns about rights and ownership of
  domains are inappropriate. It is appropriate to
  be concerned about responsibilities and
  service to the community.
• These designated authorities ccTLDs are
  trustees for the delegated domain, and have a
  duty to serve the community.
• ICP-1
• Documents IANA policies and practices as of
  ICANNs formation

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Trusteeship (Governments)

• GAC Principles
• The delegee of a ccTLD is a trustee for the
  delegated domain, and has a duty to serve the
  residents of the relevant country or territory in
  the context of ISO 3166-1, as well as the global
  Internet community Its policy role should be
  distinguished from the management, administration
  and marketing of the ccTLD. These functions may
  be performed by the same or different entities.
  However the delegation itself cannot be
  sub-contracted, sub-licensed or otherwise traded
  without the agreement of the relevant government
  or public authority and ICANN." (4.1, GAC
  Principles)

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Trusteeship (ccTLDs)

• ccTLD Constituency Best Practices Guidelines
• A ccTLD manager is a trustee for the delegated
  domain, and has a duty to serve the community it
  represents as well as the global Internet
  community. Concerns about rights and ownership
  ..(Postel quote)
• CENTR Best Practices (Duties of ccTLD Managers)
• The primary duty of the ccTLD Manager is one of
  Public Service, and to manage and operate the
  ccTLD Registry in the interest of and in
  consultation with the Local Internet Community.
  ccTLD Managers are entrusted with the management
  of the TLD Registry. A ccTLD Manager has no
  interest in the intellectual or other property
  rights in names registered as domain names or as
  part of domain names.

13
IANA Functions Services --gt ccTLDs

• IANA Services to ccTLDS
• Maintains the Authoritative Root Zone File
• Process requests for changes
• Monitor, enforce and execute global policies
• Commitment to Service Improvement
• Partnership
• Service understandings and goals
• Reporting and Statistics
• Documentation of processes
• Continuous improvement
• Advisory structure

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IANA Functions --gt Root Ops

• Coordination with Root Name Server Operators
• Agreements (MOUs)
• RSSAC
• Self-policing
• Location, number etc
• Completion of CRADA Report
• Operate root zone distribution master (future)
• Monitoring program (under discussion)
• Hardening of ICANN operations (subject to funding)

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Global Policy Development

• ICANN provides forum for all stakeholders
• No registry is an island (figuratively)
• For global coordination, including policy
• Interoperability, stability and security
• Stakeholders determine appropriate policies
• Service goals etc?
• Authentication policy?
• Updates to ICP-1?

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Funding

• ICANNs budget defined by community
• Advisory structure
• Budget group
• Finance committee
• Registries contribute
• By agreement or voluntarily
• Equitable scale
• Based on ICANN's total funding requirements
• Including reserves
• Developed by consensus

17
Agreement Framework

• Why agreements?
• To formalize and institutionalize existing
  relationships
• Reflect agreed principles
• Make relationships stable and transparent
• Advance MOU transition
• Contracts vs understandings