Summary

  • An RSP needs evaluation only once, regardless of how many gTLDs it supports.
  • The resulting qualification applies to specific Registry Services, not automatically to every service or RSP type.
  • Evaluation reuse does not itself prove applicant selection, provider commitment, contracting, delegation or readiness.

A reusable evaluation record and its service scope answer different questions. The first says that ICANN need not repeat the same RSP evaluation for every supported gTLD. The second identifies the Registry Services for which that provider is qualified. Reuse cannot safely be governed by provider name alone.

An organization may be evaluated for one or more RSP types. An applicant may use an external third-party RSP or seek approval to deliver critical services itself through the RSP Evaluation Program. In either case, the application must still specify the RSP or RSPs that will deliver the relevant critical services if it proceeds to delegation.

Analysis

The useful control is a reusable qualification register with provider, evaluated RSP type, qualified service, evidence version and affected applications. This is BTW governance guidance, not an ICANN-required format. Before reusing an evaluation across another gTLD, compare the service assignment with the recorded qualification scope.

Do not promote evaluation reuse into broader evidence. It does not show that a provider accepted a particular applicant, that contracting occurred, or that a gTLD is ready to operate.

Sources