ICANN: Issues Report – ccNSO PDP Retirement and Review Mechanism

In December 2015, the ccNSO Council discussed the need to launch a formal ccNSO Policy Development Processes to address the lack of policy with respect to retirement of ccTLDs and introduction of a Review Mechanism on issues pertaining to the delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement of ccTLDs. This discussion was grounded in the need to ensure the predictability and legitimacy of decisions with respect to the delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement of ccTLDs and to fill the lack of policy pertaining to the retirement of ccTLDs. 

In June 2016, the ccNSO Council requested an issue report that would, among others, recomment whether the ccNSO should initiatie the ccPDP on the retirement of ccTLDs and Review Mechanism for decision pertaining to the delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement of ccTLDs; advise whether to initiate one or two ccPDPs, and the order in which the topics should be addressed; and advise whether to convene a Taskforce or use another method.

The Issue Report put for public comment contains the following recommendations:

• The ccNSO Council initiates a ccPDP to develop policies for a Review Mechanism and on the retirement of ccTLDs.
• To initiate one (1) ccPDP. It is further recommended that the initial focus needs to be on developing a Review Mechanism, which is considered the highest priority, in particular in light of the IANA Stewardship transition. Only then the focus should be on retirement, and, if needed, revisit the Review Mechanism to include decisions relating to the retirement of ccTLDs.
• To appoint two working groups each with its own charter, working method and schedule. 

Comments submitted by the community will be used to to further inform the discussions by the ccPDP Working Group (WG) on retirement of ccTLDs and – later – by the WG working on the development of a recommended policy pertaining to a review mechanism.