<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;">Hi,<div><br></div><div>So it’s finally here. A preliminary issues report kicking off the policy development process (PDP) for the post Expert Working Group on next generation gTLD registration directory services (aka WHOIS EWG).</div><div><br></div><div>This is a PDP that I suspect will keep the NCSG (and other groups within the ICANN community) quite busy over the next couple of years. The deadline to submit a comment on the preliminary issues report is September 6th.</div><div><br></div><div>For those who are interested, but not familiar with the GNSO PDP cycle, you can learn more about it here: <a href="http://gnso.icann.org/en/basics/consensus-policy/pdp">http://gnso.icann.org/en/basics/consensus-policy/pdp</a></div><div><br></div><div>Note…, this PDP was initiated by the ICANN Board, not the GNSO Council. This means that after a final issues report is published, the GNSO Council cannot reject it. It will have to proceed to a PDP working group.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks.</div><div><br></div><div>Amr<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">"ICANN News Alert" <<a href="mailto:communications@icann.org">communications@icann.org</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><b>ICANN News Alert -- Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Services to Replace WHOIS Preliminary Issue Report</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';">July 14, 2015 at 1:45:27 AM GMT+2<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><<a href="mailto:aelsadr@egyptig.org">aelsadr@egyptig.org</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica';"><a href="mailto:communications@icann.org">communications@icann.org</a><br></span></div><br><div><div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><div style="width: 758px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><div style="width: 738px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.icann.org/"><img alt="ICANN" src="http://www.icann.org/images/gradlogo_bow.jpg" style="border: 0px; width: 94px; height: 94px; float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px;"></a><h2>News Alert</h2><p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-07-13-en">https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-07-13-en</a></p><hr style="margin: 20px 0px 0px;"><h2 style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0px;">Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Services to Replace WHOIS Preliminary Issue Report</h2><p>13 July 2015</p><table class="convey" style="width: 737px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody><tr><td class="light" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><strong>Forum Announcement:</strong></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em;">Comment Period Opens on</td><td class="light" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><strong>Date:</strong></td><td style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em;">13 July 2015</td></tr><tr><td class="light" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><strong>Categories/Tags:</strong></td><td colspan="3" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em;">Policy Processes; Contracted Party Agreements; Privacy, Security/Stability, Intellectual Property</td></tr><tr><td class="light" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><strong>Purpose (Brief):</strong></td><td colspan="3" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em;">This public comment proceeding seeks to obtain community input on the new Preliminary Issue Report concerning Next-Generation gTLD Registration Directory Services (RDS) to Replace WHOIS.</td></tr><tr><td class="light" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);"><strong>Public Comment Box Link:</strong></td><td colspan="3" style="border: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); padding: 0.5em;"><a href="https://www.icann.org/public-comments/rds-prelim-issue-2015-07-13-en">https://www.icann.org/public-comments/rds-prelim-issue-2015-07-13-en</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><br><br><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#ffffff"><p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; color: rgb(94, 94, 94); margin: 0px 0px 5px;">This message was sent to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:aelsadr@egyptig.org">aelsadr@egyptig.org</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>from:</p><p style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; 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