SRS Implementation Progress Report August 2001
Update
Three documents were released for consultation during August:
- The draft business/operational rules (feedback due by 14 September)
- The Registry business model (feedback due by 14 September); and
- Accountability Arrangements: InternetNZ and the ccTLD manager (members only feedback due by 17 September)
There has been limited feedback on the documents to date. I prepared a list of issues at the front of the documents to enable discussion on areas where I wanted specific comment. This has been done for the documents released externally during August.
Three of the draft contracts for the management of the .nz name space were completed:
- the InternetNZ - registrar authorisation agreement
- the registry - registrar connection agreement
- the registrar - registrant agreement.
The first two were externally reviewed and put into a "plain English" format, and sent to the SRS IOC. Some members of the IOC did not wish them to be released at this stage pending further work.
The third agreement was due to be returned by the external reviewer during the first week of September. This will then be sent to the IOC for review.
I was away for the last ten days of the month.
Approach
I have been working on the basis that InternetNZ has a responsibility to the wider community and needs to balance the following:
- contracting for the provision of monopoly registry services and ensuring that the price charged for the use of that register does not create excessive profits
- ensuring that the business environment enables adequate numbers of registrars to operate, that the barriers to entry are low but there are minimum levels of competence that registrars will need to meet
- safeguarding registrant's rights and creating simple but effective market rules.
I have not seen my role as implementing whatever registrars request as this has to be balanced against InternetNZ's wider obligations in terms of its delegation and in complying with the business regulatory framework within NZ.
The SRS High Level Requirements
Feedback has been received on the SRS-High Level Requirements document and this document has been revised. Some of the feedback reflects different viewpoints on what registrant information is held on the register for each domain name. This issue would appear to have been well canvassed during the Hine Working Group consultations but remains as a gap in expectation. I am working on the basis that both the registrant's name and contact details are held on the register.
The revised document is attached (word format) with the areas where there was significant debate outlined in red type.
This document will now be used by the Technical Project Manager to develop the requirements for the register and interfaces.
Technical Project Manager
Doug Mercer starts on 3 September and his initial focus will be to develop the functional specifications, assess the existing packages on offer and prepare the technical implementation plan.
Once the functional specifications are developed, these will be taken out to potential registrars for comment, in conjunction with the business rules and contracts.
Focus for September
The technical project brief as outlined above.
Revising the papers currently out for feedback.
Preparing a further paper for the Council on the ccTLD Standing Committee.
Preparing for the face to face consultation round with .nz domain name service providers.
