[ALAC] [APAC-Discuss] Baku outcomes

Fri Nov 16 07:13:36 UTC 2012

Hello, everyone.

The report for the APRALO Workshop at the UN Internet Governance Forum 2012
in  Baku has been posted to the wiki (
https://community.icann.org/display/APRALO/BAKU+APRALO+Reports) and pasted
below.

Best regards,

Rinalia

*ICANN APRALO Workshop Report*

IGF 2012 Workshop #122 (9 November 2012)

*New gTLDs: Implications and Potential for Community Engagement, Advocacy
and Development*

Organizers: ICANN APRALO & the DotKids Foundation

Moderator: Rinalia Abdul Rahim, ICANN At Large Advisory Committee

Remote Moderator & Time Keeper: Bianca Ho, NetMission Ambassador

*Panelists:*

   - Edmon Chung, DotAsia Organisation, Asia Pacific
   - Yannis Li, DotKids Foundation, Asia
   - Andrei Kolesnikov, Coordination Centre for TLD RU, Russia
   - Scott Seitz, DotGay, USA
   - Fouad Bajwa, Internet Policy Group at Oi2, Pakistan
   - Olga Cavali, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina
   - Cheryl Langdon-Orr, .au Domain Administration Ltd, Australia

In the pending expansion of the Top Level Domain Space, ICANN has received
close to 2000 new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) applications.  Of note is
the low number of applications categorized as “community”-related (i.e., 84
community applications representing 4% of total applications).  Various
contributing factors have been discussed to explain the phenomenon such as
the problem of general awareness attributed to insufficient outreach
efforts.  For communities, especially those from the developing world, few
measures have been taken to facilitate their participation and engagement.
There is still a lack of awareness and understanding about the value of new
gTLDs for communities and there are also specific challenges and barriers
that serve to limit community adoption.

The workshop explored the following questions towards identifying the
opportunities and challenges presented by new gTLDs for communities:

1.     What is the value proposition of new TLDs for communities (i.e., the
opportunities)?

2.     What are the challenges in the uptake and sustainability of new TLDs
for communities?

3.     What type of support is needed to increase uptake and ensure
sustainability?

4.     What are the unique issues that apply for cross-border communities?

The workshop discussion involved approximately 30 people and featured
perspectives from representatives of communities that have applied for new
gTLDs as well as views from regions around the world.  Highlights and main
points are as follows:

*Opportunities/Value Proposition of new GTLDs for Communities*

   - Raises awareness about the community (i.e., makes communities visible
   with the identity that they choose);
   - Builds the community (i.e., allows the community to connect and to be
   found by others who share the same or similar identity, which enhances
   community ties and network);
   - Supports community advocacy (i.e., raises awareness about the
   community’s interests, issues and concerns), which has implications for
   mobilization of support/resources;
   - Supports the safety needs of vulnerable communities (e.g., children
   and the gay community);
   - Allows for the development and provision of services specifically for
   the community and in particular those with special needs; and
   - Surplus revenue can be channeled to support community-development via
   Foundations.

*Adoption/Uptake Challenges for Communities*

   - Complicated application process with high start-up cost (technical,
   marketing, advertising, community consultations, etc.);
   - Application process requires community endorsement, which is difficult
   to obtain without substantial prior engagement, consultation and
   mobilization of support;
   - Information about financial assistance was not widely circulated and
   financial support requirement is premised on demonstration of financial
   stability, which defeats the purpose of financial assistance;
   - Community-names taken up by companies, which requires dispute
   resolution; and
   - Availability of Second Level Domain Name opportunities.

*Support Needed for Sustainability*

   - Availability of local registrars/partners to distribute names -
   vertical integration as a solution for this appears to be controversial;
   - Strategies for dealing with abuse of community domains; and
   - Partnerships that bring in critical components needed for successful
   application and implementation (technical expertise, financial support,
   outreach support, sustainable business models, etc), before, during and
   post delegation of TLDs.

*Unique Issues for Cross-Border Communities*

   - Difficulty in identifying the boundary of cross-border communities
   that are global; and
   - Difficulty in obtaining financial support for community applications
   that are trying to serve a global community of people that reside in both
   developed and developing countries

*Recommendations for a new gTLD Remedial Round Targeted at Developing
Countries and Under-Served Communities*

   - Initiate an experimental fast track round with approximately 25 new
   gTLDs;
   - Revise the application process and guidebook based on weaknesses
   already identified by the community;
   - Provide for a sunset policy and process where new gTLDs can fail
   gracefully;
   - Adjust the requirement for financial stability in evaluating the need
   for financial support; and
   - Ensure that the community evaluation process allows for community
   consultation and mobilization to happen after the application has been
   approved.

 END

On Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 1:45 PM, Holly Raiche <h.raiche at internode.on.net>wrote:

> HI Everyone
>
> With Baku over, the agenda for the next APRALO meeting includes a look
> back at Baku.  We don't have a lot of time in that teleconference, so it
> would be really helpful if those of you who attended could write brief
> notes on what happened - what was good (and not so good), what issues came
> up that we should be aware of and what lessons are there to be learned -
> particularly for the Beijing meeting and APRALO showcase.
>
> Matt - could you please set up a workspace for people to put their notes
> in please and circulate the link
>
> Thanks everyone for taking the time.
>
> Holly
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>