From: Amadeu Abril i Abril [SMTP:Amadeu@nominalia.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 9:55 PM
To: discuss@dnso.org; Participants@dnso.org
Subject: Registrr Constituency

Hi all,

In order to establish a Registrar Consituency that meets all required by
ICANN bylaws, many among the already accredited registrars have started to
discuss and develop such a gramework.

PSA a preliminary draft submitted to you all for comments. It is submitted
by Nominalia, InterQ, eNom (post-testbed accredited registrars),
MelbourneIT and CORE (testbed registrars. Many other registrrs, ncluding
all testbed registrars, are involved in the disucssions and are preparing
specific comments on this draft.

Tha basic idea behind this proposal is that ICANN accredited registrars
should form the inital basis for this constituency. As the registrar
"function" is clear but the status of a company as such registrar is much
les so, this option solves an inital bootstrapping problem.

Indeed many ISO 3166 regisitres also use a dual registry/registrar model.
Many don't. And the model, definition and criteria varies form TLD to TLD.
This is why the consituency's first task should be contacting all
egistries and getting all this info, in order to build some cirteria that
make sense, that could be on a TLD-by-TLD basis.

Later this week we will submit a new version.

Best regrds,

Amadeu


*********

The DNSO Registrar Constituency

I Mission and Purpose

1.The Registrar Constituency of the Domain Name Supporting Organisation
("DNSO") is one of the initial constituencies of the DNSO, according to
Article VI-b, Section 3 of the ICANN Bylaws.

2. The purpose of the Registrar Constituency is to represent the views and
interests of professional domain name registrars within the DNSO in all
matters and issues of its responsibility according to ICANN bylaws.

3. A registrar is an entity that acts as a (technical and operational)
interface between domain name holders ("registrants") and a TLD registry,
providing registration and value-added services. Registrars directly
submit to the registry zone file information and other data (including
contact information) for each of their customers in a given TLD.

4. Registrars are different from registry or registrar resellers, which
can provide some value-added registration services, as registrars directly
interface with TLD databases operated by registry administrators.

5. The Registrar Constituency shall not act as a Registrar Trade
Association nor represent collective registrar views or interests in any
other forum than DNSO/ICANN. As registrars are the basic component for
competition in the domain-name registration market, the Registrar
Constituency shall refrain from facilitating, promoting or otherwise
allowing collusion or other anticompetitive behavior among registrars.

II Membership

1. Initial Members of the Registrar Constituency

Eligible as Initial Members of the Registrar Constituency are the entities
accredited as Registrars by ICANN up to the date in which the Registrar
Constituency will be recognized by its Board of Directors.

2. Additional Members of the Registrar Constituency

All entities accredited as Registrar by ICANN will be eligible to the
Registrar Constituency as they get accredited. (b) ICANN-accredited
registrars can also participate within the Registrar Constituency through
representative associations. (d) Besides Registrars operating with gTLD
registries (identified as those accredited by ICANN) the Registrar
Constituency could also include registrars operating with ccTLD
Registries. As such we understand those organisations which are registered
with IANA/ICANN as the designated manager of an ISO-3166 Top Level
Domain
Registry. (f) The Secretariat of the Registrar Constituency shall require
from ICANN a regularly updated list of the delegated TLD registry
managers, and undertake consultations with each such registry in order to
ascertain whether they operate through registrars, what are their
respective criteria for accrediting registrars, and the list of each
registry's accredited registrars.

ISO-3166 TLD Registry-accredited Registrars could form a special class of
members of the Registrar Constituency

·3. Observers

The Registrar Constituency shall decide whether registry and registrar
resellers, agents and other entities providing domain-name registration
services but failing to qualify as a Registrar, as well as organisations
representing these categories, are allowed to participate within the
Registrar Constituency as non-voting, observer-status members.

III Organisation and Structure

The Registrar Constituency shall consist of:
2.
A Membership, as defined in the previous section
(b)
A Secretariat, with the functions described below.
(d)
Three Names Council Representatives. One of these representatives shall
chair the Registrar Constituency meetings, which can be either collocated
or electronically linked. (f) 2. The Secretariat functions will include:

Reviewing applications for membership in the Registrar Constituency. In
this function it will be helped by a Credentials Committee. (b) Carrying
out the administrative functions associated with the operations of the
Registrar Constituency, including the arrangement of meetings, preparation
and publication of minutes. (d) Facilitating and, where appropriate,
formulating membership consensus on policy issues for the purpose of
advising the Business Constituency representatives on the Names Council
(f) Assessing and collecting membership fees and preparing the annual
budget and accounting, if necessary. (h) 3. The Secretariat functions will
be provided by a member of the Registrar Constituency, elected by the
Constituency membership. Each entity selected to run the Secretariat will
provide its services for one year. Re-appointment will be possible up to a
maximum of three consecutive years.

4. The Registrar Names Council Members

The three Names Council representatives will act as Registrar Constituency
representatives and not as those of their respective entities or
organisations. As far as it is practical, Names Council representatives
shall consult all relevant matters and decisions with the Registrar
Constituency. (b) The Registrar Names Council members shall normally serve
for two years. They may seek re-election for a second consecutive mandate.
(d) The initial three Registrar Names Council members shall serve for a
period not exceeding December 31, 1999. The Registrar Constituency shall
develop prior to that date all relevant substantive and procedural rules
in order to run regular elections. This include selecting a Secretariat,
appointing a Membership Credentials committee; implementing criteria for
ISO-3166 Registrar membership and formalizing policy-development
mechanisms and rules. (f) Registrar Names Council members, including
initial representatives, may serve for two consecutive terms before
becoming ineligible for re-election for a third consecutive term. (h) 5.
Selection of Candidates for the DNSO Names Council

Each Constituency member may propose one individual as a candidate for
election to the DNSO Names Council. Nominations will be open for a
one-week period. (b) All nominees from the same region (as defined in the
ICANN Bylaws) as the person with the largest number of votes will be
eliminated. From the resulting list, all nominees from the same region as
the person with the second number of votes will be eliminated. The three
people at the top of the remaining list will be elected as representatives
of the Registrar Constituency to the Names Council. (d) If the list of
nominees contains only members from two or one of the regions, the
Secretariat will extend the nomination period for a further week. After
that week, elections will take place, providing as many Names Council
seats as regions are represented. The Secretariat will organize a new
election restricted to nominees of those regions not yet represented.
Pending that, the Constituency will only partially fulfill the Names
Council seats reserved to it. (f) IV Voting

1. Registrar Constituency members shall have one vote per member,
irrespective of the size or the number of domain names registered.

2. Association of registrars shall have three votes each, provided that
they have as members more than fifteen eligible registrars not represented
within the Constituency as individual registrars.

3. Observers shall have no voting rights.

V Funding

1. The Registrar Constituency members shall arrange any necessary finance
for the constituency in a manner to be agreed by the Constituency.

2. The Registrar Constituency shall participate in the DNSO funding in the
way decided by the Names Council

VI Registrar Constituency Processes.

1. The Registrar Constituency shall adhere to the open and transparent
process requirements as stated by ICANN. It shall also comply with
ICANN-established conflict-of-interest, dispute resolution and review
policies,

2. Registrar Constituency meetings will normally be held when possible by
electronic means. Once a year a physical meeting shall be arranged, in
conjunction with DNSO and/or ICANN-related meetings.

VII Registrar Constituency Formation Timetable

May, 3 Publication of the Draft Framework

May 3-May 18 Comments Period and membership applications

May 20 Final Registrar Constituency Proposal

May 25 Physical Meeting in Berlin. Secretariat selection.

May, 27 Initial Names Council nominations deadline

June, 2 Initial Names Council elections

Before December, 31 Regular Names Council elections.