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<div class="ecxWordSection1"><div><div><div style="border:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:8.0pt 8.0pt 8.0pt 8.0pt"><div><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white">NOTICE to BC Members: I AM ASKED AS CHAIR, TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. </p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white">Please note your opportunity to submit your individual comments. Steve DelBianco, our V.Chair, Policy Coordination, will advise the BC of his proposal on how, and whether to submit BC comments. This announcement is an alert, since many BC members may wish to submit individual comments. </p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white">Some BC members have been on this working group, in their INDIVIDUAL capacity. They are subject matter experts that can inform the rest of us. They were not acting on behalf of the BC, and I applaud each of them, especially Mikey O'Connor, for undertaking the work, and understanding and 'living' the unique separation of WG from 'REST of WORK' for a Constituency that one belongs to. </p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white">All of you who worked on this WG are invited to help to inform the RoU [rest of us], but we respect that you will now act as a BC member, or abstain, if you so determine. I wanted to recognize your work on this WG. It has been 'heavy lifting' and is much appreciated. </p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white">We will have an aggressive schedule of ICANN public comments ahead, and we will try our best to be clear, in the subject line, of the purpose of an announcement. </p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><br></p><p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0cm;background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-23jul10-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-23jul10-en.htm</a></span></p>
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<h2 style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Public Comment: Initial Report on
Vertical Integration Between Registrars and Registries</span></h2>
<p style="margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">23 July 2010</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
GNSO Vertical Integration Working Group is seeking comments on its Initial
Report on Vertical Integration Between Registrars and Registries. This<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://gnso.icann.org/issues/vertical-integration/vi-pdp-wg-initial-report-23jul10-en.pdf">Initial
Report</a><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span>[PDF, 731 KB] is
posted for<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-201008-en.htm#vi-pdp-initial-report">public
comment</a><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span>as a required step in
the GNSO’s Policy Development Process on Vertical Integration between
Registrars and Registries. The Initial Report describes various proposed
solutions for restrictions on vertical integration between registrars and
registries for adoption in the New gTLD Program.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Please
note:</span></strong><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"> </span></span><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
Working Group is working under an extremely aggressive schedule in order to
meet the requirements that have been placed on it by the GNSO Council and the
ICANN Board. The Working Group is planning to continue its analysis throughout
the public comment period. Reviewers are encouraged to submit comments early to
provide the group as much time as possible to consider them.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
public comment period ends on<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">12 August 2010</span></strong>.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Background:</span></strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
GNSO Council has commenced a policy development process (PDP) on the topic of
vertical integration between registrars and registries. The GNSO Council formed
a working group to evaluate whether any policy recommendations should be
developed on the topic of vertical integration between registrars and
registries affecting both new gTLDs and existing gTLDs.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">ICANN
is currently in the process of finalizing the implementation details for the
launch of new gTLDs. ICANN has posted four draft applicant guidebooks and a
series of topic papers for public comment describing the manner in which ICANN
proposes to implement this program. These documents include proposals on the
topic of vertical integration and whether cross-ownership restrictions or other
rules related to vertical integration should be adopted to apply to the New
gTLD Program.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
Initial Report describes several proposals regarding vertical integration that
have been developed and analyzed by the VI Working Group. No proposal has
achieved consensus support within the VI Working Group. These proposals are
included for the purpose of seeking public comment and will be subject to
further analysis and debate as the VI Working Group continues to strive to
develop a consensus position to recommend to the GNSO Council on an expedited
basis.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
Initial Report published for public comment is a “snapshot” of a living
document that will be revised several times during the public comment period.
Reviewers are encouraged to check on the working-group wiki for the latest
version of this Initial Report.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">This
public comment forum is an opportunity to comment on any of the proposed
vertical integration models that are described the Initial Report. The Initial
Report will be posted for a public comment period that closes on<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">12
August 2010</span></strong>. Comments can be sent to<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:vi-pdp-initial-report@icann.org">vi-pdp-initial-report@icann.org</a><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span>and reviewed at<a href="http://forum.icann.org/lists/vi-pdp-initial-report/">http://forum.icann.org/lists/vi-pdp-initial-report/</a>.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Additional
Information</span></strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">:</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">To
review the Issues Report on Vertical Integration Between Registries and
Registrars, please refer to<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://gnso.icann.org/issues/vertical-integration/report-04dec09-en.pdf">http://gnso.icann.org/issues/vertical-integration/report-04dec09-en.pdf</a><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span>[PDF, 254 KB].</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">The
ICANN Board resolution on Vertical Integration is posted at<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-12mar10-en.htm#5">http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-12mar10-en.htm#5</a>.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">To
review the charter describing the policy work undertaken by the Vertical
Integration Working Group, please refer to:<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://gnso.icann.org/issues/vertical-integration/vi-chartered-objectives-10mar10-en.pdf">http://gnso.icann.org/issues/vertical-integration/vi-chartered-objectives-10mar10-en.pdf</a><span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span>[PDF, 41 KB].</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">For
information on the details of the implementation planning activities for new
gTLDs, please refer to the documents posted at<a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm</a></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">To
review updates to the Initial Report that may be developed by the VI Working
Group during the public comment period, please refer to the archive of Initial
Report snapshots posted at<span class="ecxapple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://st.icann.org/vert-integration-pdp/index.cgi?initial_report_snapshots">https://st.icann.org/vert-integration-pdp/index.cgi?initial_report_snapshots</a>.</span></p>
<p style="background:white"><strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Staff
responsible</span></strong><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">:
Margie Milam</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"> </span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">Glen de
Saint Géry</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'">GNSO
Secretariat</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"><a href="mailto:gnso.secretariat@gnso.icann.org">gnso.secretariat@gnso.icann.org</a></span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoPlainText"><span style="font-family:'Arial','sans-serif'"><a href="http://gnso.icann.org">http://gnso.icann.org</a></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';color:#1F497D"> </span></p>
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