ComReg has announced that it will appoint IEDR as the authority authorised to register .ie domain names under the Communications Regulation (Amendment) Act 2007, amending the Electronic Commerce Act 2000, which transferred to ComReg powers to make regulations affecting the management and administration of Ireland's .ie ccTLD.

The Irish Internet Domain Registry's ("IEDR") management of Ireland's i.e. Top Level Domain (ccTLD) is to be reorganised following a consultation process conducted by Ireland's Commission for Communications Regulation ("ComReg") on the basis of powers and functions recently granted to it.

Up to now, the .ie ccTLD has been delegated by ICANN/IANA to University College Dublin, while the practical day-to-day administration of the domain has been dealt with, not without controversy, by IEDR, an independent not-for-profit body.

ComReg commenced a consultation process in June 2008 canvassing the views of interested parties in relation to how Comreg should implement the changes provided for by the Act of 2007. Following such consultation process ComReg commissioned an independent review and due diligence analysis on IEDR's activities. On the basis of the results of that review and analysis, which determined that IEDR was both financially sound and operated under an acceptable code of governance, ComReg, in a report of the results of the consultation process published on 12 January this year, has announced that it will appoint IEDR as the authority authorised to register .ie domain names under the Act of 2007.

The following further steps are also planned:

  • IEDR will establish and maintain a Policy Advisory Committee ("PAC") representative of all stakeholders in the internet Community, with its chairperson approved by ComReg. This is in response to views expressed in the consultation process that more account need to be taken by IEDR of the views of the internet Community.
  • IEDR will continue to adopt the "managed approach" to .ie registrations, as opposed to a "first come-first served" model. ComReg regards the "managed approach" model as more secure and regards the protection of .ie domain name holders as more important than creating a market in .ie domain names.
  • The Department of Communications, Energy and National Resources in Ireland ("DCENR") will replace University College Dublin as the Sponsoring Organisation under ICAAN/IANA rules for the .ie resource. ComReg, as already remarked, will appoint IEDR as the registration authority for the .ie ccTLD. DCENR will confirm IEDR as both the Administrative and Technical Contact for the .ie domain in the IANA database.
  • The consultation process revealed considerable disquiet that the interests of the local Internet community and continuity of services were at risk because IEDR had no effective escrow arrangement in place in the event that IEDR failed for any reason. ComReg has announced its intention to implement an effective escrow arrangement for IEDR to ensure that in the (hopefully unlikely) event of IEDR failure, all critical data can be released, subject to ComReg authorisation, to an alternative registration authority that will provide continuity of services.
  • ComReg's initial appointment of IEDR as the registration authority will be for twelve months. During this initial period ComReg and IEDR will agree and implement a suitable escrow arrangement.
  • ComReg plans to minimise ongoing regulatory intervention in the .ie domain once any identified issues have been addressed and an effective monitoring framework has been put in place which will enable ComReg to identify any future risks. ComReg will also actively participate in the PAC to keep it in touch with industry issues.
  • ComReg reserves the right to introduce further regulatory measures in the future, if it considers any such to be warranted.

Recognising that the Internet world has emerged on a largely unregulated basis of consensus standards and openness, Comreg takes the view that, subject to dealing with specifically identified issues which arise and establishing and maintaining an effective monitoring framework, this approach is in the best interests of the Irish Internet and domain name users.

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