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<div style="width: 738px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.icann.org/"><img alt="ICANN" src="https://www.icann.org/sites/default/files/assets/icann-primary-94x94.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 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-10-14-en">https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2015-10-14-en</a></p>
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<h2 style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0px;">Call For Action: Public Comment Period for the DNS Study for the Middle East and Adjoining Countries – an ICANN Middle East Initiative</h2>
<p>14 October 2015</p>
<p>The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is seeking feedback on the
<a href="https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/eurid-middle-east-dns-study-initial-13oct15-en.pdf">
initial draft study</a> [PDF, 5.42 MB] on the Domain Name System (DNS) for the Middle East and Adjoining Countries (MEAC Region), which was commissioned in June 2015. The study aims to analyze the domain name industry ecosystem in the Middle East and Adjoining
Countries region (which includes the 22 Arab states, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan), and develop recommendations on how to advance the industry and support market growth.</p>
<p>A consortium led by EURid, with support from Emily Taylor Internet Research, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property and Oxford Information Labs, is conducting the DNS study for ICANN.</p>
<p>The study examines the domain name industry within the wider context of the region's Internet development, Internet usage patterns and user preferences, the region's hosting industry and the importance of local language content. It then draws on relevant
benchmarks and best practices, developed within the global ccTLD environment, and leads to some suggested actions that may stimulate wider uptake.</p>
<p>This initial report contains the results of a structured survey of ccTLD registries in the region, supplemented by interviews with registries and registrars. Additionally, it measures the region's domain names from a variety of sources, including contacts
with ccTLD managers and an automated analysis of 150 million domains from open gTLD zone files.</p>
<p>This initiative is a direct product of the ICANN Middle East Engagement Strategy. The draft is now open for comments until 30 October 2015. Please send all comments to
<a href="mailto:meswg@icann.org">meswg@icann.org</a>.</p>
<p>The initial report will be discussed during a special session during ICANN54 in Dublin, on
<strong>Tuesday October 20 at 16.15 – 17.30 UTC at Wicklow Hall 1. More information can be found
<a href="https://meetings.icann.org/en/dublin54/schedule/tue-middle-east-dns">here</a>.</strong></p>
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