Discussions on Internationalized Domain Names provide direction for progress

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers put the wrap on its 31st International Public Meeting in New Delhi today after five days of discussions about the future of the Internet.

“These meetings are vital to ICANN’s model of bottom-up, consensus driven policy making in action,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN’s Board Chairman.

Ceremony recognizes Regional At-Large Organization, first Asia-Pacific At-Large General Assembly

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Individual Internet users from Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands have direct input into the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a fact recognized today with the ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ICANN and the Internet user groups who participate in the Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO).

The APRALO conducted its first General Assembly as a part of ICANN’s 31st International Public Meeting in New Delhi. They discussed issues that will affect Internet users throughout the region and the world. The Internet user groups who are a part of APRALO are incredibly diverse, and include users from India, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates.

In planning for implementation of the new gTLD policy recommendations, and in response to inquiries form the ICANN community, ICANN is conducting a review of the status of applications from the New gTLD round in 2000 that were not selected for negotiations.

During the ICANN meeting in Los Angeles in 2007, ICANN’s General Counsel agreed to review references and information relating the prior gTLD applications. Below is a summary of relevant background material identified.