some concerns about the current fast track on IDNs

[Andrew Mack <amack@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The following comment was also posted as part of the forum on IIC progress...
 
Sirs,
 During the earlier comment period I expressed my concern with ICANN’s claim 
that it had sufficiently dealt with two issues I think are crucial for the 
future of the organization – the issue of IDN rollout and the issue of non-OECD 
representation.  And as I said at that time, while I believe some progress has 
been made, I remain convinced that on both counts more progress should be made 
before ICANN ends its current oversight relationships with the Department of 
Commerce.
I attended the recent Paris meeting (and speaking now specifically from a small 
business point of view, as a small business owner focused on international 
business), I was especially interested in the issue of IDNs.  Some of what I 
saw in Paris , however, led me to believe that ICANN may have – 
unintentionally, I am sure – created a situation which could create real 
difficulty in the next phase of the development of the Internet.
 
While in Paris I attended the ccTLD meetings, and learned in detail about plans 
for the fast-track rollout of IDN ccTLDs.  A welcome move.  However, while I 
would not recommend that we slow down the IDN ccTLD process at all, I am very 
concerned that the much more popularly-used IDN gTLDs – the Chinese or Arabic 
or Cyrillic versions of .org, .com, .edu and .net, for example – were not 
included in the fast track.  
 
By limiting the “fast track” to the cc space, I fear we could very well find 
ourselves in a situation in which, for a number of years, IDN ccTLDs will in 
essence be the only way to reach these new markets.  Simply put, I feel this 
would be bad for both users and businesses on the web for a number of reasons.  
 
First, I am thinking about the cost implications for small businesses if this 
occurs.  Many of my colleagues and partners have businesses on the web they 
would like to expand into the IDN space.  As small businesses, they are 
honestly alarmed at the time and financial implications of having, for example, 
to register in many IDN ccTLDs that use Cyrillic characters, or the more than 
10 cc’s that use Arabic script -- each with its own protocols and procedures – 
in order to defend their brands... instead of having the ability to compete for 
their brands in the IDN equivalent of .net, or .biz or .com (which many of them 
would rather do).
 
Second, I am concerned about the additional power this will give Governments in 
the near term – both in the business arena and in the academic/scientific 
space, where information sharing is essential but where there is real question 
about the openness of Governments over issues of human rights and the like.  
ICANN is making the argument for “independence” in part based on its ability to 
represent the core founding principles, one of which is maintaining the close 
connection to the private sector in operations.  The IDN rollout plan seems to 
call that relationship into question somewhat by favoring IDN ccTLDs.
 
Finally, in Paris I heard nothing that would suggest (let alone guarantee) that 
the most popular, most used and most business-critical IDN gTLDs would be 
considered first -- if they were considered as part of the "slow track" for IDN 
gTLDs.  This simply makes no sense to ICANN as a public servant or as a 
promoter of growth on the web.  People know and want to use certain 
destinations on the web -- I would like the ability to bid for my IDN gTLD, for 
example -- and ICANN should factor in these needs if our goal is really to 
support the Internet community. Based on these concerns, I must stick with my 
earlier position.  I applaud some significant effort that ICANN has made on its 
way to more autonomy, but I don't think it makes sense to end the existing 
relationship with DOC early given the many unanswered questions that remain 
with the IDN process.  
 
Thank you. 
 
Andrew Mack
 
 
Andrew A. Mack 
Principal
AMGlobal Consulting
+1-202-256-1077  
amack@xxxxxxxxxxxx  
www.amglobal.com