[Comments-rssac2-review-final-01may18] RSSAC Draft Final Report Comment with respect to the RZERC

[Alan Greenberg]

This comment is submitted purely in my personal capacity.

Alan Greenberg

==========================

I was somewhat taken aback at the multiple 
references to the confusion between the RZERC and several other bodies.

I was the leader of the sub-group in the ICANN 
IANA Stewardship Transition Working Group that 
was responsible to addressing how to replace the 
NTIA role overseeing IANA. As such, I essentially 
was the architect of the RZERC, although I have 
no claim to having given it its name.

The US Department of Commerce, through the NTIA, 
was involved in any and all changes to how IANA 
functions, what tools it used and what procedures 
it followed. The sub-group recommended that for a 
wide range of low-level issues, no such oversight 
was required, other than normal management functions within IANA.

However, for substantial changes (examples were 
the implementation of DNSSEC, radical changes in 
workflow and major new software tools), there 
should still be some oversight, and that should 
be carried out by a group of knowledgeable 
individuals representing the full range of groups 
that interact with IANA or should have input into 
such changes (SSAC, RSSAC, ASO, IETF, GTLD and cc 
Registries and the Root Zone Maintainer), with 
that group advising the ICANN Board who would 
grant the formal approval previously granted by the NTIA.

The name chosen for the group, the Root Zone 
Evolution Review Committee unfortunately implies 
that it has a responsibility covering the overall 
root zone operation and not just the IANA-related 
aspects - up to and including the publication of 
the zone file – something that was never even contemplated.

However, the Charter 
(<https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/revised-rzerc-charter-08aug16-en.pdf>https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/revised-rzerc-charter-08aug16-en.pdf) 
does make its scope clear:


"The Committee is expected to review proposed architectural changes to the
content of the DNS root zone, the systems including both hardware and
software components used in executing changes to the DNS root zone, and
the mechanisms used for distribution of the DNS root zone. The Committee
shall, as determined necessary by its membership, make recommendations
related to those changes for consideration by the ICANN Board."


In my mind, this group might also be a valuable 
one to involve if indeed major changes were 
planned to the Root Zone itself, but that was not 
the reason it was created nor does it have formal 
oversight responsibilities past the content, 
creation and publication of the zone file.
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