[ispcp] SUPPORT FOR NON-PROFIT NEW gTLD APPLICANTS

["Anthony Harris" <harris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Guys,

I am participating in the WG that has been tasked to
evaluate ways to support non-profit and under-resourced
applicants for new gTLDs.

I am doing so as a prospective applicant, and my opinions
are voiced as personal, and not tied to the constituency.
In the attachment, you can see comments submitted to
ICANN some time ago, on behalf of the Federation I
represent, and which address the justifications for the
somewhat high fee structure defined for the next round
of gTLD applications. Previous rounds featured an
application fee of 45 or 50K and the next round will
cost 185K.

The charter for this WG will be sent to the Council for
discussion on May 20th. 

As a constituency, we have always been supportive of a
measured and controllable process for the introduction
of new gTLDs, and a robust application fee is of course
a deterrent to unscrupulous prospectors. 

The current debate in the working group
revolves around two objectives:

- Determine if the proposed 185K imposes an excessive
  and unjustifiable burden on non-profit applicants, seeking
  strings that will be simple and non-conflicting.
- Determine ways (if any) whereby additional assistance to
  these applicants can be resourced, such as potential
  donor organizations, foundations, etc.

I thought I would submit this background for Wolf-Ulrich
and Jaime to be aware of what's going on, prior to
the Council deliberations.

Tony Harris

Attachment: AAA-DOT.LAT-COMMENTS I.doc
Description: MS-Word document