[ncdnhc-discuss] .ORG activities of ncdnhc members

[Milton Mueller]

In late July, as stated on the NCDNHC "Announce" list, I went to
Washington to stir up activity among NCDNHC members on the
.ORG. divestiture.

The initial impetus prompted some of the Washington 
groups to hold a meeting, hosted by the American Library Assn.
I did not attend, but have obtained a report from Rick Weingarten,
of ALA.

Below, I forward the set of principles adopted by the groups.
The next message will have an account of the meeting.

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August 7, 2001
Weingarten
Draft Principles for Administration of Dot-Org TLD

1.	Provide High Quality Service. The new ORG registry must function efficiently, reliably, and economically. The Administrator must have a commitment to a high quality of service for all Dot-Org users worldwide, including a commitment to making registration, assistance and other services easily accessible around the world in different time zones and different languages.

2.	Protect Current Users. Current legal registrants will not have their registrations cancelled nor will they be denied the opportunity to renew their names for a fee reasonably consistent with current costs.

3.	Continue as an unrestricted TLD. While "restricted" TLDs may play a role in the future development of the name space, Dot-Org's history of accessibility and openness, combined with the difficulties of establishing an easily enforceable, globally acceptable definition of "non commercial," make prior restrictions on registration a bad idea for Dot-Org in the future.

4.	Maintain "special character" of Dot-Org user base. Dot-Org's original status as a place for registrants who "don't fit anywhere else" must be retained. While Dot-Org must remain a TLD for traditional noncommercial organizations and non?profits, it must also be recognized as a TLD that supports individuals, households, unincorporated organizations, business partnerships with non?profits, and other social initiatives. 

5.	Promote Non-Profit, Non-Commercial Use of the Internet. While Dot-Org should remain an unrestricted TLD, the new Administrator should identify ways to differentiate and strengthen the special identity of Dot-Org such as marketing and promotion strategies targeting noncommercial uses and users, and by not encouraging defensive or duplicative registrations.

6.	Operate Dot-Org consistent with ICANN policies. Dot-Org's administration must be generally consistent with policies defined through ICANN processes, such as policies regarding registrar accreditation, shared registry access, dispute resolution, and access to registration contact data. However, the Administrator should have flexibility to reasonably adapt policies to the needs and concerns of the non-commercial interests that are its principal users, so long as they do not undermine critical policy objectives regarding the Internet as a whole.

7.	Minimize economic barriers. The Administrator must strive to keep the cost of registration as low as possible, consistent with the need to provide effective service. The Administrator should be a non-profit organization, with proceeds from the operation of the registry devoted to stimulating a global non-commercial public presence of the Internet.