I. Background

One of NeuStar’s primary responsibilities for the usTLD is the enhancement of the locality-based space in .us. The distributed nature of this space has led, despite the good efforts of many existing delegated managers, to an often poorly coordinated and sometimes “broken” top-level domain. NeuStar is committed, in partnership with existing delegated managers and users , to improving the coordination, management and operation of the locality space. This policy provides an interim solution for registration of locality-based names, in formerly undelegated domains, by state and local governments to ensure smooth operation of the existing locality space during this undertaking.

This diagram shows the current basic structure of the usTLD locality space.

Since its inception, the locality space has operated through “delegated managers.” Delegated managers take responsibility for the operation of specified zones within the usTLD structure. These delegations are based upon “localities,” such as cities and
counties, and have been third-level delegations in the form <locality>.<state>.us. For example, an entity might operate as the delegated manager of the domain burke.va.us.

As the delegated manager, that entity would be fully responsible for the operation and maintenance of the delegated domain – the usTLD Administrator maintains no records or information for the zone created by the delegation beyond the actual delegation to
the delegated manager.

Under the government contract between NeuStar and the Department of Commerce (“DoC”), the existing delegated managers maintain their delegations and will operate them in the normal fashion, but NeuStar is not permitted to make any new delegations until it has completed a report on the status of the locality space and made recommendations on its future operation. In order to allow the continued operation of the space for local and state governments during this process, NeuStar has developed
this interim policy relating to names that were never delegated to a delegated manager prior to NeuStar’s acceptance of the usTLD Administrator role.

II. Interim Policy
Until completion of the “Compliance Report Process,” NeuStar will assume responsibility for the operation of all of the currently undelegated name spaces identified in RFC 1480 and/or created by the prior usTLD Administrator. NeuStar will become the
interim delegated manager for all such names and run the nameservers for those names. NeuStar’s role as the delegated manager for these spaces and its operation of the corresponding nameservers will be an interim role until completion of the usTLD
locality space compliance report process. Upon completion of that process, NeuStar will implement necessary changes, if any, to this policy to realize the goals and requirements set out in the report. Recognizing that this process could result in a change to the manner in which the undelegated locality-based names are managed, NeuStar has designed the policy below to allow the greatest degree of flexibility while maintaining the integrity of the hierarchical locality-based domain space.

III. Domain Delegations for Undelegated Domains

In keeping with the goal of centralizing the technical function of the usTLD, all of the currently undelegated names in the identified usTLD structure will, in the interim, be delegated1 to NeuStar. Specifically, NeuStar will be the delegated manager for the following domains to the extent that they were not delegated prior to NeuStar’s acceptance of the administrator role:2

.us
<state>.us
<locality> .<state>.us
lib.<state>.us
k12. <state>.us
pvt. k12. <state>.us
cc. <state>.us

tec. <state>.us
isa.us
nsn.us
dni.us

This approach will allow NeuStar to maintain control of the listed zone while permitting additional records to be registered at higher delegation levels. For example, an entity would not be permitted to be the delegated manager of somelocality.<state>.us. That domain already would be delegated to NeuStar. However, the city or county government for that locality would be permitted to register its corresponding city or county government name at a level higher (e.g., ci.somelocality.<state>.us or co.somelocality.<state>.us).

IV. Registration of Names

NeuStar will serve as the registrar for all currently undelegated domains. Adds, modifies, deletes and renewals will be ordered through an Internet GUI or other process.3 However, during the time in which this interim policy applies, only state and
local government agencies and their designated representatives will be eligible to register new names in formerly undelegated .US domains.4 In order to register a name, the registrant must complete the online form (including the provision of all requested
information) and agree to the NeuStar .US Domain Name Registration Terms and Conditions. The data required from registrants in the locality space is the same as in the expanded space.

Upon completion and submission of the registration information, the entity registering the name will be required to provide the following along with the registration information:

  • If the entity requesting the name is the entity eligible to hold the name (a local government, for example), then the requester must provide a notarized letter on the letterhead of the requesting entity stating that the requester is authorized to request and use the name.
  • If the entity requesting the name is not the entity eligible to hold the name, but is operating under authority of such entity (a hosting company hired by a local government, for example) then the requester must provide a notarized letter that it is authorized to request the name on behalf of the eligible entity, as well as a notarized letter from the eligible entity stating that it has
  • authorized the requester to obtain and maintain the name.

Once NeuStar receives the originals of the above letters, the requested name will be activated.

V. Future Policies and Processes

Any registration made under this interim policy will remain subject to the results of the
compliance report process. Policies and procedures described in the compliance report
and approved by the DoC will apply to all registered names, including names registered
under this interim policy.

________________________________________________________________________________

1 A “delegation” results in the entire authority and responsibility over a given name being assigned to another party.
Delegations are implemented via NS (or nameserver) records.

2 Labels indicated by “<name>” are labels that may have any number of entries. For example, <state> indicates any
of the two-letter postal codes for the states of the United States and its possessions and territories.

3 Initial registration processes may be manually run until suitable web-based tools are developed and tested. The
basic registration process and require ments will be the same, however.

4 As noted above, for those locality domains already delegated, this policy will not apply and the authorized
delegated managers will continue to operate in their normal fashion.