Proposed .travel DNS wild card

["Edward Hasbrouck" <edward@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ICANN should not consider or act on this proposal while a request for 
independent review of the decision to approve .travel is pending.

On 8 April 2005, I requested that the resolution of the ICANN Board of 
Directors to approve a ".travel" agreement be referred to an independent 
review panel (IRP) in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws, and that ICANN stay 
any action on a ".travel" agreement until such time as the Board reviews 
and acts upon the opinion of the IRP, and while my request for a 
recommendation from the IRP for a stay is pending:

http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/000554.html

ICANN has not yet publicly considered or acted on this request, despite my 
diligent efforts and continuing demand that ICANN do so, as detailed at:

http://hasbrouck.org/icann/

I request that ICANN stay any consideration of proposals for expansion of 
.travel or new registry or other services related to .travel, until:

(1) ICANN has considered (at a maximally-open meeting for which proper 
notice has been provided) and acted on my request for a stay pending 
independent review of the openness and transparency (or lack thereof) of 
the process by which ICANN decided to approve .travel;

(2) ICANN has completed a policy development process to designate an 
independent review provider and approve procedures for independent review, 
in accordance with the procedural requirements of ICANN's Bylaws for such 
a policy development process and policy decisions;

(3) ICANN has referred my pending request for independent review to a duly-
designated IRP;

(4) the independent review panel has had an adequate opportunity to 
consider and act on my request for a stay pending independent review; and

(5) ICANN has considered and acted on the recommendation of the IRP 
concerning a stay pending independent review.

It would be inappropriate and potentially detrimental to Internet 
stability for ICANN to approve any expansion of .travel or related 
services while this request for independent review and stay is pending.

If ICANN eventually complies with the requirements of its Bylaws to 
designate an IRP and approve procedures for independent review (according 
to the procedures required by ICANN's Bylaws for such policy decisions), 
and to refer my request to such a duly-designated IRP according to such 
duly-approved procedures, and if the independent review panel finds that  
ICANN's actions in approving .travel were inconsistent with ICANN's Bylaws 
on transparency, the appropriate action would be for ICANN to void that 
decision, or at least to stay it pending a de novo review according to 
procedures consistent with ICANN's transparency and other Bylaws.

Expansion of .travel and related services would make it more difficult, 
and potentially detrimental to Internet stability, to remove .travel from 
the root.  In effect, this will incrementally deprive the IRP of any 
meaningful authority -- as guaranteed by the Bylaws -- to recommend a stay 
or reversal of the decision subject to the independent review request. 

I also remind ICANN that my request for independent review of the lack of 
openness and transparency in the decision-making process on .travel was 
accompanied by my request for "notice, as far in advance and in as much 
detail as is known, of the time, place, and manner of any meetings to be 
held by ICANN or any of its constituent bodies, and for copies of any 
documents to be considered by them, related to ".travel", to my requests, 
or to policies for independent review of ICANN actions."

I have received no response to this request, which I hereby reiterate.

Sincerely,

Edward Hasbrouck


----------------
Edward Hasbrouck
<edward@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<http://hasbrouck.org>
+1-415-824-0214

"The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World"
(3rd edition, 2004, 4th edition forthcoming 2007)
"The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace"
<http://www.practicalnomad.com>