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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Hi all,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I see 15 mins on tomorrow’s agenda for this topic, and
only a link to this letter from the US Government to the Chair of the ICANN
Board. <a
href="http://forum.icann.org/lists/raa-consultation/pdfXG2oUDNceq.pdf">http://forum.icann.org/lists/raa-consultation/pdfXG2oUDNceq.pdf</a>.
I have no idea what our discussion was going to be about, and so I try to
kick off a talk on the list. I appreciate the letter and hope we as a
Council can respond by moving WHOIS studies forward at long last, and meanwhile
(at minimum) formally object to the newly proposed RAA amendments wrt WHOIS proxy
services. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The entire RAA amendment “process” has not
involved the GNSO. Instead there have been two very long rounds of
bi-lateral negotiations between ICANN Staff and the Registrars Constituency. There
was one round of public comment in between (though it is difficult to
understand how public comments played any significant role in the second draft),
and one just closed wrt the second draft. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The RAA amendments involve many changes to existing gTLD
policy as embodied in the existing, many-year old RAA. Public comments
from several constituencies indicate substantial disagreement with many of the
suggested amendments. The Council really should consider the proposed
amendments formally and with the goal of consensus comments, and to record
constituency and/or minority comments. Yet this may be far too late at
this point, it is unclear what the “process” is and how GNSO might
impact it, and some of the RAA amendments are unobjectionable and should be
implemented immediately. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Still, some of the suggested amendments are completely
unacceptable. So we need to figure out a way to formally register those
concerns and ensure they will be heard, while not unduly stalling the entire process.
The only other option would be to request Issues Reports on various of the
suggested amendments? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Mike<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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