the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has published the draft .za Registry and Registrar Licensing Regulations which provide details on the requirements for registries and registrars to be licensed by the Authority, the steps to follow when applying for license renewal and how to deal with breaches of license conditions.
The proposed regulations are in accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT ACT) 25 of 2002, Sections 68 and 94 of the ECT Act, which authorizes the Authority, with the approval of the Minister, to make regulations .
According to Molehe Wesi, CEO of ZADNA, these regulations facilitate a fundamental constitutional process of public participation.
Some of the proposed changes include:
- Registrars must provide general Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) information with their license application, particularly details of BEE ownership.
- Registrars should collect and store the IDs, physical addresses, and contact details of people wishing to register .ZA domains
- Registrars must apply for a license, which will be valid for 10 years
- License and registration fees payable through the registry – yet to be determined
- If non-commercial registrars cease to operate, they must provide customer registration data to ZADNA
“ZADNA calls on all stakeholders and interested parties to provide comments on the draft published rulebook, and the deadline for receiving comments is June 06, 2022,” Wesi says.
“We call on the public and the Internet community to review the document and provide us with feedback on the proposed project. These regulations are consistent with the requirements of the law, in particular Sections 65 (1) (c) and 65 (1) (d) of the ECT Act, which detail the functions of the Authority,” adds Wesi.
Once the regulations are enacted, ZADNA will continuously engage industry stakeholders to ensure minimal disruption.
“It has taken a long time, and we are excited to embark on the process of enacting these regulations, and what a way to celebrate 20 years of the ECT Act,” concludes Wesi.
Published regulations can be viewed here https://www.zadna.org.za/publications/za-regulations/
Public comment on these regulations is open until June 6, 2022.
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