[council] FW: Update from the Joint SO/AC WG on New gTLD Applicant Support.

[Gomes, Chuck]

Note that comment is requested from the GNSO so I encourage every SG and Constituency to review this report and provide input.

Chuck

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-council at gnso.icann.org [mailto:owner-
> council at gnso.icann.org] On Behalf Of Glen de Saint Géry
> Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 3:52 AM
> To: Council GNSO
> Subject: [council] FW: Update from the Joint SO/AC WG on New gTLD
> Applicant Support.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> Forwarded From: Avri Doria
> 
> 
> To:      The ICANN Board and the Chartering Organizations: ALAC and the
> GNSO Council
> From: Co-chairs of the Joint SO/AC Working Group on New gTLD Applicant
> Support
> 
> 
> The Working Group has made a great deal of progress since the Brussels
> meeting and is well along in the process of finding the consensus point
> on the recommendations.  The group has put a great deal of time into
> analyzing the community comments and into reviewing the initial
> recommendations as defined in the first snapshot in the light of those
> comments.  While we near the end of this process, we have not yet
> completed the work.
> 
> The enclosed document is an excerpt from the final output document of
> the WG covering the WG recommendations.  For the most part, the items
> in this document have consensus.  In the few cases where there is still
> an ongoing debate, the options are listed either in [bracketed text1,
> bracketed text2], or in one case in an expanded section listing 2
> options.
> 
> We hope that this second snapshot will be useful to the ICANN Board in
> their discussions on the New gTLD Program.  We would appreciate any
> feedback either the ICANN Board or the chartering organizations might
> have on our discussions.  It has been a goal of this group to make sure
> we were able to present recommendations in time for the upcoming round
> of new gTLD applications.  The participants in this group believe that
> being able to provide assistance now and not at some possible future
> round is critical for various reasons.  These reasons include:
> 
> - Board resolution 2010.03.12.46-47 was quite clear on the need to
> ensure that the current New gTLD Program should be inclusive.  Much of
> the ICANN community took hope from this decision and not to deliver on
> this first round would disappoint the global community greatly.
> 
> - With every round, the competitive disadvantage for the new gTLDs
> increases.  For ICANN to cause further disadvantage to those who
> already are at a disadvantage due to its pricing considerations could
> be seen as an abrogation of its responsibly to serve the global public
> interest and foster competition for all.
> 
> - The pent up demand for new gTLDs, especially IDN gTLD, is so great
> that there is an expectation for many applications.  There is a concern
> that without some sort of assistance program, all of the most obvious
> names, including IDNs, will be grabbed by wealthy investors, leaving
> little opportunity, especially in developing regions, for local
> community institutions and developing country entrepreneurs.
> 
> - While there is every plan for a second round, and most of us believe
> that such a round will occur, its timetable is at best uncertain.  The
> round of 2001 was supposed to be followed by new rounds, and though it
> now appears that it will be, it took a decade for that to happen.
> Since it is impossible to give guarantees of when there might be a
> future round, making those who cannot afford the current elevated ICANN
> prices wait for an uncertain future is not seen as equitable treatment.
> 
> 
> In the final document, we will not only present the recommendations of
> the WG, but will explain those recommendations and will list the
> activities that we are recommending as follow on work.
> 
> Finally, we apologize for the delay in delivering this by the document
> deadline and hope that you will receive and consider this brief
> document nonetheless.
> 
> Thank you
> 
> Avri Doria and Evan Leibovitch
> Co-chairs, Joint SO/AC Working Group on New gTLD Applicant Support
> 
> ---
> 
> To the ICANN Secretary, please pass this cover letter along with the
> enclosed document to the entire ICANN Board.
> To the GNSO Secretary, please pass this cover letter along with the
> enclosed document to the entire GNSO Council.
> To the ALAC Secretariat, please pass this cover letter, along with the
> enclosed document to the entire ALAC.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> 
> Glen de Saint Géry
> GNSO Secretariat
> gnso.secretariat at gnso.icann.org
> http://gnso.icann.org