IE Domain Registry Annual Report 2019

IE Domain Registry  Annual Report & Review  2019 16 Corporate Governance Policy Development Policy development is a multi-stakeholder endeavour for the .ie namespace. It follows a consensus-driven and consultative approach, set out in the published 10-step Policy Development Process (PDP). The Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) was established by the Company in July 2014, to provide a forum to consider and provide advice to the Board of Directors on policy change requests. The PAC operates under specific Terms of Reference and follows the PDP. The PAC considers all policy change requests submitted for review, and where consensus exists for a change, it also advises on the implementation of such policy change requests. The members of the PAC are stakeholders with an interest in the .ie namespace and its policies. The membership includes representatives from eligible organisations. That list was extended in 2019, with the welcome addition of CyberSafe Ireland and IRISS (the Irish Reporting and Information Security Service), who joined the .ie accredited Registrars, the Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment, Enterprise Ireland, the Small Firms Association (SFA), the Law Society, the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI), the Department of Business, Enterprise & Innovation, the Irish Computer Society (ICS) and the Association of Patent and Trademark Attorneys (APTMA). PAC – operation and modus operandi The PAC has maintained the strong levels of engagement evident since its inaugural meeting in 2015. The Committee met on four occasions in 2019. In the interim periods between meetings each working group continued its engagement online via mailing lists and conference calls, to ensure that the proposed policy changes maintained momentum. Meeting attendance and online engagement remains strong. This has been vital to the progression of the various policy change discussions, as has the diverse expertise, experience and knowledge of the Committee members. The commitment of the PAC in adhering to the bottom-up, consensus-driven, multi stakeholder-led PDP has been invaluable in the progression of policy changes. Entering its sixth year of operation, the PAC expects to continue to build on the achievements and milestones of previous years. PAC milestones in 2019 „ Introduction of a faster, more affordable dispute resolution process (ADRP) „ Auction/release of three domains corresponding to TLD extensions „ Fast-track approval of minor policy edits, arising from the planned direct registration service cessation „ PAC Terms of Reference updated – membership term extension to a 4-year term „ Accredited .ie Registrar PAC representatives – elections in Q1 2019 What’s coming in 2020 „ Policy response to handle illegality or technical abuse, which uses .ie domain names „ Policy response to handle transparency of reserved names/blocked names Policy Change Proposal Stats #6 #3 #2 #2 Proposals and topics considered Policy change proposals concluded Policy change proposals implemented New policy proposals submitted (incl. fast-track)