ComReg to Regulate .ie ccTLD

Important news for the Irish internet with the announcement that Comreg has completed its consultation process and now proposes to introduce a new framework for regulation of the .ie top level domain. The press release summarises the changes as follows:

- ComReg will, by way of regulation, appoint IEDR as the authority authorised to register .ie domain names in accordance with Section 32(4)(a) of the Act of 2007,
- IEDR will set up and maintain a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) representative of all stakeholders with a focus on more transparent policy development,
- IEDR will continue to adopt the "managed approach" to .ie registrations to ensure continued protection for .ie domain name holders and consumers,
- ComReg will implement a monitoring framework and will participate in the PAC to keep abreast of activities in the marketplace,
- Further regulatory measures may be considered in the future, as warranted.

Daithi has an excellent post discussing the ComReg proposals and their background, which I won't attempt to follow until I've had a chance to look at the proposals in more detail - but I can't help wondering whether this will now mean that the IEDR may be subject to judicial review.