<h2><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">News
Alert</span></h2>
<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-8-23mar10-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-8-23mar10-en.htm</a></span></p>
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<h2 style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">IDN ccTLD
Requests Completes Fast Track String Evaluation</span></h2>
<p style="margin-top:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:
0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">23
March 2010</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">ICANN is pleased to announce
the successful completion of String Evaluation on proposed IDN ccTLDs.
Announcements for the completion of each request are provided here: <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/announcements-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/announcements-en.htm</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The requesters may now
initiate delegation of the IDN ccTLDs by following ICANN's standard processes
for TLD delegation, through the IANA function.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Also, included are two sets
of synchronized IDN ccTLDs that are pending review in the evaluation for
synchronized IDN ccTLDs. This process is currently posted for public comments
and pending finalization.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The IDN ccTLD Fast Track
Process was approved by the ICANN Board at its annual meeting in Seoul, South
Korea on 30 October 2009. First requests were received starting 16 November
2009. The process enables countries and territories to submit requests to ICANN
for IDN ccTLDs, representing their respective country or territory names in
scripts other than Latin. IDN ccTLD requesters must fulfill a number of
requirements:</span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">the script
used to represent the IDN ccTLDs must be non-Latin;</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">the languages
used to express the IDN ccTLDs must be official in the corresponding
country or territory; and</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">a specific
set of technical requirements must be met (as evaluated by an external DNS
Stability Panel comprised of DNS and IDN experts).</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The request and evaluation
processes are comprised of three steps:</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Preparation (by the requester in the
country / territory): Community consensus and supporting documentation are
assembled for the IDN ccTLD: what string to request, how the TLD is operated,
and which organization will be running it, along with preparing and gathering
all the required supporting documentation.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">String Evaluation: requests for IDN
ccTLDs are evaluated in accordance with the criteria described above. i.e., the
technical and linguistic requirements for the IDN ccTLD string(s). Applications
and supporting materials are received through an online system, <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/</a>.</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo2;
tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-fareast-font-family:Arial"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">String Delegation: requests
successfully meeting string evaluation criteria are eligible to apply for
delegation following the same ICANN IANA process as is used for ASCII based
ccTLDs. String delegation requests are submitted to IANA root zone management
function.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">At this time ICANN has
received a total of 19 requests for IDN ccTLD(s) in the Fast Track Process,
representing 11 languages. ICANN is looking forward to enabling the
availability of all these strings in the DNS root zone, by completion of the
String Delegation function and the synchronized IDN ccTLD evaluation, as well
as finalizing the remaining received requests in String Evaluation, and
receiving additional new requests in the Fast Track Process.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A staff support function is
available to help all countries and territories interested in participating in
the Fast Track Process. Please email <a href="mailto:idncctldrequests@icann.org">idncctldrequests@icann.org</a>
for inquiries for participation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Updates about received
numbers of applications and the number of completions will continue to be
provided on the Fast Track Process web page at <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track</a>.</span></p>
<p><strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">About ICANN:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">To reach another person on
the Internet you have to type an address into your computer a name or a number.
That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN
coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that
coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It
is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over
the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable.
It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique
identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam
and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination
role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the
expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: <a href="http://www.icann.org/">http://www.icann.org</a>.</span></p>
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