Hi Danny, Ross, Chuck -
I've been trying to get an update on the state of play with regard to
Deletes policy, and implementation dates.
Specifically, when does WLS come into play? Is there a date or rough date
set for its introduction? Has it been passed by the ICANN Board/Verisign
etc.
[Gomes, Chuck] The ICANN Board did pass a resolution authorizing
staff to conduct negotiations to provide for offering the
WLS under six conditions. One of those conditions is that the
soonest WLS could happen would be six months after the Redemption Grace Period
(RGP)was implemented. We implemented RGP for .com and .net on 25 January
2003. Under this condition, the soonest WLS could happen would be 25
July 2003. To date no negotiations have taken place. Also, two
reconsideration requests were submitted, neither of which has been
resolved.
And secondly, I've been following the process of .com names releases
after expiry in the past months, and there seems no consistency. Some names
appear to go on hold for the minimum period provided, and then become
available to the public (to date, many of those names put "on hold" between
January and about 3rd March have so far become available).
[Gomes,
Chuck] With the implementation of RGP for .com and .net on 25
January, here is what happens to all names for which we receive a Delete
command except those during the 5-day Add Grace period: 1) the names
immediately enter a 30-day redemption period during which the registrar of
record may restore a name for a fee; 2) if the names are not restored during
the redemption period, they are put into a 5-day Pending Delete
Period, during which no actions are allowed and registrars are notified
of the names that will be deleted at the end of the Pending Delete Period; 3)
the names are deleted at the end of the Pending Delete
Period.
On the other hand, a large number (thousands) of Net Sol names, including
names put on hold in January and the whole of February, remain "on hold" and
are still not available. I can send you hundreds of examples if you needed
them, but how can Netsol hold these names back, in some cases 7 weeks after
they were supposed to be released? Don't the normal rules apply to them? Is
the new deletion process just optional?
[Gomes,
Chuck] I have no visibility into any registrar's procedures are with
regard to deletes other than with regard to the commands we receive from them,
but I can tell you that seven weeks in Hold status is quite
possible. Under current policy, there are up to 80 days after a name's
expiration date before a name is deleted if it is not renewed; as you can
figure for yourself, that is over 11 weeks. If a name is not renewed
prior to its expiration date, it enters a 45-day Auto Renew Grace period
during which the registrar may delete it and receive a credit for the $6 Auto
Renew fee. Registrars have varying policies during this period.
Many put the name on Hold at some point during this period as a last ditch
effort to let the registrant know that the name needs to be renewed.
Also, during the redemption period (30 days) and the Pending Delete
Period (5 days), all names are on Registry Hold unless they are
restored. Therefore, if a registrar put a name on Registrar
Hold two weeks (14 days) before the end of the 45-day Auto Renew grace
period, that would mean that it would be on Hold for a total of seven
weeks (14 + 30 + 5 = 49 days). If a registrar put the name on Hold
sooner, it could be on Hold longer than seven weeks
before being deleted.
I thought the intention was for one, consistent policy for the industry.
Why are the NetSol names being held back?
[Gomes,
Chuck] The policy is consistent from the point of time a Delete command
is issued, but registrars are free to implement their own procedures for how
they treat names that have not been renewed by registrants during the
45-day Auto Renew grace period. Under RGP, all names that
are ultimately deleted outside of the 5-day Add Grace period
would be on Registry Hold status for at least five weeks (35
days).
I'd be grateful for your insights, both on WLS dates, and on the second
issue, and thank you for your assistance. I've also posted a version of this
letter to the GA list and the Deletes Task Force members. I haven't followed
this issue closely enough, and maybe I'm asking stupid questions. I just don't
"get" why NetSol are acting differently to many other registrars.
[Gomes,
Chuck] I don't know what Network Solutions' specific practice is now with
regard to names that have not been renewed, but I can tell you
that clear back to 1996 there was a practice of putting names on
Hold if registrants did not renew by a certain time. If a registrant
changed contact information and didn't update their records, putting the name
on Hold was often the only way of notifying the registrant that there was a
problem. I also have been told that some registrars actually put names
on Hold if they are not renewed by the expiration date. If that is the
case, those names would be on Hold for up to 80 days before being
deleted.
If I had a name with Tucows which was placed on hold on 3rd March (I did
indeed have one) then that name was finally released and made available for
registration yesterday (9th April). If I had a name with NetSol (I don't but
I've been tracking some) there are still names put on hold back in January
which remain on hold.
[Gomes, Chuck] I am guessing that the name you are
referring to went into the Pending Delete Period on 3 March and then was
deleted 5 days later according to policy. But it would have had to be on
Hold for 30 days prior to that, during the redemption
period.
Where's the consistency in that? Maybe there's not meant to be any
consistency. Maybe anything goes.
Kind regards,
Richard Henderson
(IcannatLarge.org)