[AfrICANN-discuss] ICANN Exploring Certification of Backend Registry Operators

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

Dear All,

As usual if you have any questions about the below, let me know.

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ICANN Exploring Certification of Backend Registry Operators

31 January 2008

In advance of the ICANN meeting in New Delhi, India, this announcement is to
inform the community that ICANN is exploring a potential initiative for the
certification of backend registry operators for new gTLDs. ICANN has
identified registry operator certification as an area that may improve the
application process for new gTLDs and improve security and stability by
creating a pool of available and pre-qualified registry operators in the
event of registry failure.

ICANN is an internationally organized non-profit public benefit organization
that administers certain features of the Internet's unique identifiers. As a
private-public partnership, ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational
stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad
representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy
appropriate to its mission through bottom-up, consensus-based processes. A
general description of ICANN is available at
http://icann.org/tr/english.html <http://www.icann.org/tr/english.html>.

*Background*

The idea of creating a certified registry operations provider program is not
new. In March 2003, ICANN released criteria for stable registry operation to
be used in the selection of new sponsored TLDs:
http://www.icann.org/riodejaneiro/stld-rfp-topic.htm#D1.

Since the March 2003 ICANN meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a wide range
of community members (registrars, ccTLD registry operators, Non-Commercial
Constituency members, among others) have encouraged ICANN to move forward
with the creation of an Accredited Registry Services Provider program (or
similar program). As an example, the 15 March 2006 GNSO Issues Report on
Technical Criteria for new gTLDs referenced the idea of creating an
accredited registry operator's system (see
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/new-gtlds/tech-criteria-15mar06.htm). The topic
was also raised in the GNSO Public Forum in Lisbon, Portugal in March 2007
and during the November 2007 ICANN meeting in Los Angeles, California.

Additional research and discussion on this potential initiative is
anticipated as staff moves toward the introduction of new gTLDs and
implementation of the gTLD registry failover plan in the near future.
Further information will be provided on the ICANN website.


-- 
Anne-Rachel Inne
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