Historical Resolution Tracking Feature » Root Zone Evolution Review Committee (RZERC) Charter
Important note: The explanatory text provided through this database (including the summary, implementation actions, identification of related resolutions, and additional information) is an interpretation or an explanation that has no official authority and does not represent the purpose behind the Board actions, nor does any explanations or interpretations modify or override the Resolutions themselves. Resolutions can only be modified through further act of the ICANN Board.
Root Zone Evolution Review Committee (RZERC) Charter
Board approves the RZERC charter as revised in response to public comment and Board appoints Suzanne Woolf to serve on the RZERC
Whereas, ICANN developed the proposed Root Zone Evolution Review Committee (RZERC) charter in cooperation with the Implementation Oversight Task Force (IOTF) and the Cross Community Working Group on Naming Related Functions (CWG-Stewardship).
Whereas, the proposed charter is consistent with the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) proposal that the Board approved and transmitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on 10 March 2016.
Whereas, ICANN commenced a public comment period from 30 June 2016 to 10 July 2016 on the proposed charter [PDF, 43 KB].
Whereas, the public comment forum on the proposed charter closed on 10 July 2016, with ICANN receiving seven comment submissions by both individuals and organizations/groups. Upon review of these comments, ICANN coordinated with the impacted parts of the ICANN community to address the concerns and revise the charter appropriately.
Whereas, the RZERC charter calls for a representative from the ICANN Board to serve in the Committee.
Resolved (2016.08.09.02), the Board approves the RZERC charter as revised in response to public comment, and the President and CEO, or his designee(s), is authorized to take such actions as appropriate to form the RZERC.
Resolved (2016.08.09.03), the Board appoints Suzanne Woolf to serve on the RZERC.
Why the Board is addressing the issue now?
On 10 March 2016, the Board approved and transmitted the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) proposal to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and directed ICANN to proceed with implementation planning. One of the requirements in the naming portion of the ICG proposal is the formation of a standing committee to review proposed architectural changes to the content of the DNS root zone, the systems including both hardware and software components used in executing changes to the DNS root zone, and the mechanisms used for distribution of the DNS root zone. The Committee shall, as determined necessary by its membership, make recommendations related to those changes for consideration by the ICANN Board. The Board's approval at the recommendation of the Committee is the CWG-Stewardship's proposed replacement for NTIA's current role, which would no longer be in place if the IANA Functions Contract lapses. As part of implementation planning, ICANN named this standing committee Root Zone Evolution Review Committee (RZERC) and worked with the community to draft a charter for the Committee.
What is the proposal being considered?
The proposed charter describes the purpose, scope of responsibilities, and composition of the Committee. The charter also sets out how the Committee will conduct itself, including frequency and method of meetings, how decisions will be made, records of proceedings, as well as conflict of interest. Lastly, the charter sets out requirements for review and amendments to the charter.
Which stakeholders or others were consulted?
ICANN consulted with the Implementation Oversight Task Force (IOTF) as well as the CWG-Stewardship in the development of the proposed charter. ICANN also conducted a public comment period on the proposed charter from 10 June 2016 through 10 July 2016, following which time the comments were summarized and analyzed.
What concerns or issues were raised by the community?
Seven (7) members of the community participated in the public comment period. Members of the community raised one key concern in their comments.
The concern was that the scope of responsibilities of the RZERC as drafted seems to overlap with the responsibilities of the RSSAC. The scope of the RZERC as drafted is to consider architectural and operational issues that impose potential risk to the root zone and the root system. Commenters suggested that this scope could be interpreted to mean that the RZERC could consider issues relating to the operation of the root servers, which is a responsibility of the RSSAC. To address this concern, ICANN worked with the RSSAC to modify the scope of the RZERC to clarify that the RZERC is expected to review proposed architectural changes to the content of the DNS root zone, the systems including both hardware and software components used in executing changes to the DNS root zone, and the mechanisms used for distribution of the DNS root zone. The Committee shall, as determined necessary by its membership, make recommendations related to those changes for consideration by the ICANN Board.
What significant materials did the Board review?
As part of its deliberations, the Board reviewed various materials, including, but not limited to, the following materials and documents:
The proposed RZERC charter [PDF, 43 KB]
Public comments
Summary and analysis of public comments
IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) proposal [PDF, 2.32 MB]
The RZERC charter as modified in response to public comment.
Are there positive or negative community impacts?
The Board's approval of the charter is an important step in the implementation planning process to fulfill one of the requirements from the ICG proposal, which was endorsed by the global stakeholder community and approved by the Board on 10 March 2016.
Are there fiscal impacts or ramifications on ICANN (strategic plan, operating plan, budget); the community; and/or the public?
There is no fiscal impact expected.
Are there any security, stability or resiliency issues relating to the DNS?
The approval of the proposed charter would be an important step toward ensuring security, stability and resiliency of the DNS post transition. The RZERC's scope of responsibility will be to provide the ICANN Board with recommendations regarding proposed architectural changes to the content of the DNS root zone, the systems including both hardware and software components used in executing changes to the DNS root zone, and the mechanisms used for distribution of the DNS root zone.