Comments sought on .us Stakeholder Council

The U.S. country code top-level domain name (.us ccTLD) has historically served as a home for U.S. business, individuals, and localities and is managed on behalf of the U.S. government through a contract overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In March 2014, NTIA entered into a new contract with Neustar, Inc. to operate the .us ccTLD. The U.S. government remains committed to maintaining a stable, secure Internet that is open for economic growth and innovation and views the continued operation and improvement of the .us ccTLD as one of the many ways it supports that mission. In an effort to contribute to those goals, the .us contract requires the creation of a process for Neustar to solicit input from stakeholders on the management of .us to continually improve and enhance the user experience and utility of the usTLD space. Neustar has proposed the creation of the usTLD Stakeholder Council to fulfill the requirement and meet this important goal. The Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”), published by Neustar, solicits input from all usTLD stakeholders on the proposed composition of the Stakeholder Council, the principles and policies that will guide the Stakeholder Council and the operating procedures for the Council. Those who wish to provide input have until Aug. 16, 2014, to submit comments. Neustar also has issued a call for Expressions of Interest from individuals interested in serving on the Council.