The United States Department of Commerce has advised ICANN not to “jeopardise the security and stability of the DNS” if it goes ahead with its plan to introduce new gTLDs.”It is unclear that the threshold question of whether the potential consumer benefits outweigh the potential costs has been adequately addressed,” the Department said in a letter to ICANN dated December 18.The Department has also requested ICANN “revise the gTLD approval process, the applicant guidebook and the proposed registry agreement” be competitive and that maximum price caps be imposed.Adjudicating on “morality, public order and community objections in accordance with international human rights law” are matters best left to governments the Department suggests, while ICANN should focus on the coordination of the DNS. The Department suggests the “proposed mechanisms to address these topics are inappropriate.” There must also be a mechanism for the expansion of the reserved names list the Department believes.Further, the Department wants a clear rational for the proposed price structure and transparency in the process.The Department said the US Government is committed to promoting “competition in the domain name marketplace while ensuring Internet stability and security.”To read the letter from Meredith A. Baker, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communication and Information at the Department of Commerce is available from forum.icann.org/lists/gtld-guide/pdfnLytdJDQRC.pdf.
US Govt Advises ICANN Not to Risk DNS “Security and Stability” in gTLD Expansion
The United States Department of Commerce has advised ICANN not to “jeopardise the security and stability of the DNS” if it goes ahead with its plan to introduce new gTLDs.