ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

09/26/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/26/2024 11:42

Update on the Proposed .COM Registry Agreement RenewalTheresa Swinehart

Today, ICANN org opened a Public Comment proceeding on the proposed renewal of the .COM Registry Agreement (RA).

The proposed .COM RA includes provisions from both recent amendments to the Base Generic Top-Level domain Registry Agreement (Base gTLD RA). Collectively, among other updates, the proposed amendments incorporate important obligations related to mitigating Domain Name System (DNS) abuse and providing domain name registration data over the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP). The proposed .COM RA also adds a provision to report security incidents to ICANN and further aligns the .COM agreement with provisions in the Base gTLD RA.

ICANN and Verisign also have agreed to amend the Letter of Intent (LOI). Updates to the LOI include changes to reflect Verisign's support for a more accessible multilingual Internet. This aligns with ICANN's strategic plan, and the commitment for ICANN and Verisign to work together to determine a process for ICANN to publish information following a disclosed security incident.

Verisign's operation of the .COM TLD is governed by two separate agreements: the .COM RA between Verisign and ICANN, and the Cooperative Agreement between Verisign and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) of which ICANN is not a party to. It is important to note that ICANN is not a price regulator and defers to the relevant authority to provide guidance on restrictions related to wholesale pricing. Further information related to the operation of .COM can be found in Verisign's recent blog.

ICANN's Public Comment process is part of its multistakeholder model. It provides a mechanism for stakeholders to have their opinions and recommendations formally and publicly documented. I encourage you to take the time to review the proposed changes in detail and provide your feedback.

Authors

Theresa Swinehart

SVP, Global Domains & Strategy
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Theresa Swinehart

SVP, Global Domains & Strategy

Theresa Swinehart is the Senior Vice President of Global Domains and Strategy. In this role, she works with the community, contracted parties, stakeholders, and policymakers to ensure broad and inclusive engagement, consensus-based policymaking through ICANN's multistakeholder model, and effective, accountable policy implementation. Her responsibilities include policy implementation, review operation, and cross-functional strategic initiatives such as ICANN's compliance with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. An expert in global Internet governance, Theresa also serves as co-deputy to the President and CEO. Her extensive industry experience, including nearly 20 years as a key contributor to ICANN's growth and development, gives her a valuable perspective on how ICANN organization can work efficiently and collaboratively to better serve the global Internet community.

Theresa rejoined ICANN after three years as Executive Director of Global Internet Policy at Verizon Communications, where she specialized in emerging issues as well as stakeholder and policy engagement. Prior to this, she served as ICANN's Vice President of Global and Strategic Partnerships, leading a team responsible for partnership reform, global engagement and outreach, and the participation in international forums. Before ICANN, Theresa was Director of Global E-Commerce at MCI, where she was responsible for such issues as Internet service provider liability, data protection, and participation in Internet-related forums, including the formation of ICANN.

Theresa has a bachelor's degree in international relations from the University of California, Davis, a graduate degree in international studies from the University of Vienna, Austria, and a juris doctorate from American University. She served on the Internet Society's Board of Trustees and Internet Governance Forum's Multistakeholder Advisory Committee. Theresa began her career in international human rights. She is fluent in German and is conversant in French.