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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>Forwarded on behalf of:</span></b><span lang=EN-US
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Neuman, Jeff <br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Dear members of the GNSO Council,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>This is being written in my personal
capacity, not on behalf of Neustar and not on behalf of the Policy Process
Steering Committee or PDP Work Team of which I am the chair. I ask that
you send this to the entire council as I do not have posting privileges and
there is no public comment period or forum for this issue (which as you will
see is one of the issues I discuss below). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>I am writing to you today to express my
concerns about a motion that you will be voting on tomorrow regarding the new
gTLD process, particularly with respect to asking the staff to amend the Draft
Applicant Guidebook. First at the outset, let me state for the record
that I support the substance of the proposals and believe the DAG should be
changed. However, despite the fact that I support the substance, I do not
support this ad hoc process which I believe is extending the GNSO Council’s
role far beyond its role as an administrative coordinating body and into the
realm of policy development or at best implementation. I have expressed
my concerns to my stakeholder group, but because they support the substance of
the motion and are afraid that voting no will somehow detract from the
substance, I believe I will be outvoted even though some of those voting in
favor do oppose the process which was used. I would have posted my
concerns in the public forum for this motion, but none was created.
Perhaps this may be an idea for future motions?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The IDNG was formed last year to look
specifically at the drafting a charter for a working group to look at the issue
of whether there should be a fast-track IDN gTLD Process. My
understanding was that the drafting team was unable to come to consensus on
creating such a working group or what should be in such a charter. At
that point, I believe the drafting team should have been disbanded, but that is
not my issue for now. The drafting team continued to discuss IDN gTLD
issues and came across what the members of the drafting team believed was a
flaw in the DAG, one in which they are trying to rectify with this
motion. I am glad someone found this flaw and I am glad that the
members of the drafting team would like this addressed (as I do).
However, the approach the Council is getting ready to take on this is one
which sets a dangerous precedent for the future in setting policy at the
Council level as opposed to bottom-up. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>The Council has before it a recommendation
from the IDNG to send a note directly to the ICANN staff (and by cc: the ICANN
Board) directing it to change the current version of the DAG to address this
flaw. Rather than taking that recommendation and putting it out for
public comments or opening up a comment forum to address the issues, it is
unilaterally proposing to take matters into its own hands and pass this
resolution. In doing so, the GNSO Council it will send a message to the
ICANN Staff and to the Board, that it is a legislative policy making body as
opposed to that of a policy manager/coordinator. I understand that many
on the Council believe time is of the essence because the next version of the
DAG is supposed to be released in the next couple of weeks. However,
please take note that this is not the last opportunity to comment on the
DAG. In fact, there is no public comment period to submit this to the
staff now anyway. In looking at the Council mailing lists, it appears
that changes are still being discussed to the motion and I am afraid it is
being rushed through. How can an issue get to the Council and a
resolution passed, without ever putting that issue out for a public comment?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>If Council members do support the substance
of the motion (as I do), then the proper thing for the council to do is to
encourage those members in support of the substance, including the IDNG
Drafting Team, to send a letter on their own behalf to the ICANN staff either
now or during a formal public comment period. Or, if it really wants to
have a letter come from the Council to the staff, it should put out this motion
for public comment until at least the next meeting to get input from the
community. However, the Council should not be sending such a letter now
to the staff or to the Board without getting such input from the community in
which it is supposed to be serving. Doing so creates the false impression
that at this point in time the motion has broad community support. It may
have such support, but without putting it out for comment, you are not giving
those that may oppose an opportunity to be heard. We chastise the
ICANN Board for taking such actions, and should lead by example. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>As someone who is deeply involved in
helping to reshape the PDP and WG processes of the future and one who has spent
way too much time thinking about this kind of stuff, I believe that if the GNSO
Council votes and approves this motion tomorrow, it will be not only going
against the very fabric of what the Board Governance Committee stated was the
role of the GNSO Council, but will be setting a very bad precedent for
bypassing the policy process in the future. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US>Thank you for considering my note.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:6.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
12.0pt;margin-left:0cm'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif"'>Jeffrey J. Neuman<span style='color:#3366FF'> </span></span></b><span
lang=EN-US style='font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:gray'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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