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ICANN Montevideo Meeting Topic: Approval of ccTLD Sponsorship Agreement with auDA (.au)
Posted: 4 September 2001
ICANN management and the .au Domain Administration (auDA) have negotiated a ccTLD Sponsorship Agreement for auDA's administration of the .au country-code top-level domain (ccTLD). At its meeting on 10 September 2001 in Montevideo, Uruguay, the ICANN Board will be asked to consider approving ICANN's entry into this agreement.
Click here to read the proposed ccTLD Sponsorship Agreement between auDA and ICANN.
On 31 August 2001, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority issued a report finding that the .au top-level domain should be redelegated to auDA upon conclusion of a mutually satisfactory agreement between ICANN and auDA concerning auDA's sponsorship of the .au ccTLD. The Australian Government has given assurance of its ability and willingness to cooperate in the "framework of accountabily" to .au's local Internet community, as envisioned in the Governmental Advisory Committee Principles. auDA has indicated it, too, wishes to participate in a triangular relationship with the Australian Government and ICANN to promote to interests of the Australian and global Internet communities. (For a more detailed explanation of this "triangular situation," see the "Update on ccTLD Agreements" topic paper.) To implement this triangular relationship, the Australian Government and auDA have entered into a communication as envisioned by clause 9 of the GAC Principles and ICANN management and auDA have negotiated the proposed agreement, which covers the points envisioned by clause 10 of the GAC Principles.
Entry of this agreement will benefit the Australian Internet community by providing for a more formally accountable structure for management of the .au ccTLD in the interest of that community. The global Internet community will receive, through ICANN, auDA's assurances that the .au ccTLD will be operated in a stable and interoperable manner. The entry of this agreement will be another step in the gradual transition of the Internet's technical coordination to private-sector management through ICANN's auspices.