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[ga] IANA & the .US Sell-Out
In his article ".US Sell-Out Begins Tomorrow", Bret Fausett notes that the
"usTLD Policy Council" that Neustar pledged to create is not yet operational.
This begs the question: How prudent was the IANA's "emergency redelegation"
of the .us TLD, and as a matter of policy can we as an organization allow for
such redelegations without full and due process?
Unlike prior redelegations, wherein IANA has held that it is charged with
seeking input from persons significantly affected by the transfer,
particularly those within the nation or territory which the ccTLD has been
established to benefit, this redelegation involved no such dialogue with the
American Internet Community. In this particular case, the U.S. Government
dictated to the IANA that a relegation was required, and the IANA implemented
such redelegation immediately without recourse to standard process. Would
the IANA bow to any such similar demand from any other government entity?
Never.
The IANA (as noted in ICP-1) will make the view of the relevant government
entity "a major consideration in any TLD delegation/transfer discussions",
but it is not to be the *only* consideration.
Having denied the American Internet Community the opportunity to offer input
into the process, we are now stuck with an untenable situation in which
short, memorable names that truly belong in the public realm are now to be
sold off to speculators without the prior benefit of appropriate policy
council guidance on the issue. Had public input been requested prior to the
redelegation, many such issues would long ago have already been resolved.
To whom is this IANA accountable? Can we hold them to due process
requirements... or does due process go out the window when the US Government
makes its demands? Is the ICANN Board responsible for the IANA decisions?
Can an IANA decision be revoked, or reconsidered? Are there any checks and
balances that pertain to the IANA function, or is it empowered to act without
notice-and-comment provisions?
Any reform of the ICANN should include a reform of the IANA... either we
consistently abide by our policies, or we become a farce to the rest of the
world. Ask any ccTLD manager what they think of such "emergency
redelegations"...
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