ICANN

An Open Letter to ICANN’s New CEO, Fadi Chehadé

Congratulations on your appointment as the next CEO of ICANN, and welcome to our little rogues' gallery. Some denizens of this domain (your humble author included) may strike you as a little odd at first, but we're mostly harmless. We usually steer first-timers onto the Newcomers track, but in your case, that may be... inadequate. And while we would never presume to tell you how to do your job -- which may be one of the world's hardest - we thought we might offer a few pieces of friendly advice, based on our time here.

ICANN Suspends Digital Archery

Today, ICANN announced the temporary suspension of the Digital Archery system. ARI Registry Services applauds this development, as it's a clear signal ICANN is listening, considering and acting upon constructive feedback from the community. We encourage ICANN to not only reassess the Digital Archery system, but also the need to proceed with batching at all.

Is ICANN Leaving Africa Behind? Or Is It Really the Other Way Around?

As I prepare to jet off to Prague this weekend for the coming ICANN conference, I had to reflect back on the tumultuous year this has been in ICANN and the Internet world generally, especially as relates to Africa and Emerging Markets. And after all the smoke and fury, I had to ask: Is ICANN leaving Africa behind? Or could it be that it's exactly the opposite? That Africa is moving forward and ICANN is missing the party?

A Closer Look at the AIP Internet Draft Proposal

Just in time for ICANN's 44th meeting next week, a new Internet Draft has turned up, purporting to fix the centralization of the DNS. The draft has received some attention, including an article in PC World. It isn't entirely clear what the real purpose of the draft is, but it is hard to credit the notion that it is solving any technical problem. Without examining the reasons why the draft exists, I want to debunk a claim in it.

ICANN 44 Prague: A Look at the Future

ICANN's 44th public meeting is about to start in a few days with a number of topics on the agenda. Some of them are new, while some of them are ongoing. First off, ICANN will be announcing the new CEO this Friday afternoon in Prague. Whoever it is will be coming to the organisation at a time when it faces a number of significant challenges. While the actual official meeting does not start until Monday morning there will be plenty of meetings on over the weekend as well... So what's on the "menu" for Prague?

A Proposed New gTLD Timeline Without Batching

Following the release of our new gTLD multiple batch timeline yesterday, today we would like to take the opportunity to demonstrate to ICANN and the community exactly how a single batch timeline could be implemented and how this would benefit all applicants. In recent weeks, ARI Registry Services has publicly expressed concern about the current batching model and digital archery system. Several other key stakeholders within the community have also raised concerns and expressed support for our position.

Proposed New IETF Standard Would Create a Nationally Partitioned “Internet”

For those worried about the threat of a state-based takeover of the Internet, there is no need to obsess over the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) exclusively. Three Chinese engineers are proposing a way to alter Internet standards to partition the Internet into autonomously administered national networks, using the domain name system (DNS). The idea was not proposed in the ITU; no, it was sent to a multi-stakeholder institution, the granddaddy of the Internet itself, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Likely Timeline to New gTLD Delegation With Batching

Today, the team at ARI Registry Services decided to tread where no-one has tread before and map out the likely timeline to new gTLD delegation with batching. The exercise took some time, given that the information provided in the Applicant Guidebook is limited and there hasn't been any specific public data made available. However, we have presented what we believe to be the likely scenario should ICANN proceed under the current batching model, assuming a first batch of 500 applications.

Making ICANN Relevant, Responsive and Respected

Understandably, just now new gTLDs are uppermost in the minds of people in the domain name business. For the general Internet user, some other issues retain their crucial importance: upholding the global public interest, enhancing governance within ICANN and beyond, making the Multi-Stakeholder Model (MSM) truly efficient, sustainable, and equitable. "Making ICANN Relevant, Responsive and Respected" ("R3") sets out to identify the main challenges facing the Internet community, especially in ICANN, and offers recommendations in each of the areas explored.

New gTLDs: What Is Really Happening at the Moment?

Many of us have noticed there will soon be a new CEO at ICANN. Actual CEO Rod Beckstrom will be thanked and everyone will congratulate each other...(in English :-). OK, done... But what is really going to happen in Prague?