[Newgtld-input] .QUEBEC Batching Suggestions

[Candidature]

Prague, June 27th 2012

To : newgtld-input at icann.org
>From : PointQuébec Inc. (.QUEBEC)

Prague ICANN meeting 2012

The «new gTLD program is the result of seven years of international
consultation 
and debate among a wide variety of Internet stakeholders». Nonetheless,
since 2008, 
PointQuébec has witnessed several questionable decisions concerning
the new gTLD program, recriminations from various stakeholders to modify it
and 
different points of view in order to ensure a more appropriate governance
mechanism in compliance with the goal pursued with the program.

PointQuébec applaudes ICANN's recent decision to suspend the digital archery
process and urges ICANN to reject this inequitable approach. The archery
process 
is a flawed lotery game that would penalize PointQuébec and other new TLD
applicants. It generates costs, with no guarantee of success.

For instance, PointQuébec has only 10 to 15% chances of success for a gTLD
in 2013 
simply because of the important volume of applicants based in North America,
while applicants from other regions may have a 100% success rate possible
because the number of applications submitted to ICANN has fewer brandnames.
The geographical distribution proposed by ICANN unduly penalizes
PointQuebec.

PointQuébec is not competing with anyone and we do not have to play
this unfair game. For example, such a process would never be tolerated in
our governments to discriminate service providers on the grounds that they
failed a test of archery, regardless of the quality of the proposal, its
admissibility, 
eligibility, or the filing of a bid guarantee.

Morover, ICANN will suffer in many ways from such an unethical decision,
in terms of reputation and capability to undertake this process in a way
that 
better meets the core values of ICANN.

[i] Make allocation and assignment decisions by applying documented policies
neutrally and objectively.

[j] Act with a speed that is responsive to the needs of the Internet but
obtain 
informed input from those most affected as part of the decision-making
process.

[k] Remain accountable to the forward Internet community through mechanisms
that enhance ICANN's effectiveness.


Secondly, how can we mix applicants who apply for 50 or more trademark TLDs
with applicants proposing a single new geographic or linguistic TLD
unrelated 
to trade names? How can one seriously compare a trademark with the promotion
of a language or a culture? How can we make such a shortcut that would
at the end benefit the richest applicants, when the purpose of ICANN is «to
ensure 
that the decisions of ICANN are made in the interest of the global Internet
community»?

What we propose: three groups in a one batch process

Following monday's open discussion on new TLDs, Point-Quebec wants to
propose to  ICANN the following sequence as criterias to introduce new TLDs
on the rooting system.

1- There is first a limited number of linguistic, cultural, geographical and
municipal 
applications accounting for just over a hundred applications, such as
Point-Quebec. 
These applications are intended to serve real people living within a defined
community. 

On a technological point of view, the consequences of a failure with one
member 
of this group would be confined to a region, which minimizes the overall
network impact.

2 - Then we have the true generic names like dot-sport, dot-family, dot-film
or dot-home, etc., that meet a common need and will create new communities
or groups to promote their cause.

3 - Then come the trade names like Amazon, Orange, Toyota, Apple, Airbus
or Allstate that will operate a public or private TLD.

We propose to follow this simple sequence in the allocation of new gTLDs to
ensure 
compliance with ICANN's guidelines since its inception until today,

Some observers mentioned that the clTLDs and gTLDs applications requires
more time to evaluate. We don't agree with that point of view since the same
technology is proposed for many of the applications of the two first groups.

To better serve the Internet global community, enhance ICANN's image and
keeping in mind that updates are made on a day-to-day basis on the global
system, we propose the following : that ICANN establish a batching process
that will simply add TLDs to the root as the applications are accepted, in a
daily, weekly, monthly process to be determined by ICANN. Such a process
would help ICANN to promote the rise of the Internet for all.

Normand Fortier
PointQuébec Inc.