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Call for Proposals for New 2LDs

1. Preamble

auDA invites people to submit proposals for the creation of new 2LDs in the .au domain space.

In contrast to ICANN’s process for the creation of new gTLDs, auDA’s process for new 2LDs is non-commercial and non-proprietary. There is no application fee, and the proposer of the new 2LD does not receive any rights in relation to the 2LD.

The following principles apply to the submission and evaluation of new 2LD proposals:

  • The creation of a new 2LD must be in the public interest. auDA will not consider proposals which primarily serve to enhance the legitimacy or authority of a single organisation or individual.
  • The proposer will be required to waive any rights in the proposal. auDA will not consider proposals in which the proposer or another entity asserts proprietary rights.
  • All proposals will be subject to public consultation. auDA will endeavour to ensure that members of the Australian internet and wider community have had adequate opportunity to express their views on the proposal.
  • All proposals will be evaluated against published selection criteria by an independent Advisory Panel. The Panel will provide recommendations on each proposal to the auDA Board.

If the auDA Board decides to create a new 2LD:

  • The 2LD registry operator will be AusRegistry Pty Ltd, under the terms of its registry licence agreement with auDA.
  • Domain name services within the 2LD will be provided by auDA accredited registrars.
  • auDA will be the policy authority for the 2LD, and will set policy rules in consultation with appropriate stakeholders.

2. Background

In Australia, it is not possible to register a domain name directly in the .au domain. In other words, instead of being able to register "yourname.au", people have to register their name in a 2LD, eg. "yourname.com.au" or "yourname.org.au".

Each 2LD has a specific purpose, and policy rules which restrict the type of entity that may register a domain name, and the type of domain name which may be registered (refer to the list of .au 2LDs at http://www.auda.org.au/domains/au-domains/).

The last time that auDA considered new 2LD proposals was in 2002-2003 (refer to the New Names Advisory Panel archive at http://www.auda.org.au/nnap/nnap-index/). This process resulted in the creation of the “community geographic 2LDs”, which were launched in 2006 (refer to the .au Community Domains’ website at www.aucd.org.au).

3. Submission and Evaluation Process

auDA invites people to submit proposals for the creation of new 2LDs in the .au domain space.

Submission Process

  • Proposals must include the mandatory elements (see section 4), and may include other supporting information at the discretion of the proposer.
  • Proposals will be reviewed by auDA staff to ensure compliance with the mandatory elements. If a proposal is non-compliant, it will not be accepted.
  • auDA reserves the right to seek further information from the proposer, or to request that the proposer provide further evidence of support for the proposal, or to obtain other information for provision to the Advisory Panel and/or auDA Board on request.
  • Compliant proposals will be published on the auDA website.

Evaluation Process

  • Proposals will be considered by an auDA Advisory Panel, which will be appointed by the auDA Board after the closing date for new 2LD proposals.
  • The Advisory Panel will evaluate each proposal against the selection criteria (see section 5) and provide recommendations on each proposal to the auDA Board.
  • The Advisory Panel will hold at least two rounds of public consultation, to give interested parties the opportunity to comment on:

    • the proposal itself; and

    • the Panel's draft recommendations to the auDA Board.
  • The Advisory Panel may request the proposer to provide further information or to consider suggested amendments.

4. Mandatory Elements

The following elements must be included in a proposal for a new 2LD:

a. The name of the 2LD (eg. "name.au").
b. The purpose of the 2LD.
c. The intended users of the 2LD (including both registrants and non-registrants who may benefit from or use the 2LD) and an estimate of the number of eligible registrants in the 2LD.
d. The proposed eligibility criteria and allocation rules that would apply in the 2LD.
e. A statement addressing the selection criteria (see section 5).

5. Selection Criteria

New 2LD proposals must meet the following selection criteria:

  1. The 2LD should serve the needs of users, or a community of users, that are not well served by the existing 2LDs. A proposal should define a user group and indicate clearly why its needs are not as well served at present as they would be with the proposed new 2LD. "Users" includes both registrants and non-registrants who may benefit from or use the 2LD.
  2. There must be clear support for the 2LD, in particular among the users it is intended to serve, and in general terms from the wider community. "Users" includes both registrants and non-registrants who may benefit from or use the 2LD. Strong evidence of support should be provided. Reasonable objections to the creation of the new 2LD from the wider community during public consultation, will be taken into account.
  3. The 2LD should contribute to the broad utility of the Australian DNS and be generally relevant to users. "Users" includes both registrants and non-registrants who may benefit from or use the 2LD. For example, a 2LD that is not of benefit, use or interest to most users of the Australian DNS will generally not be acceptable.
  4. The 2LD must be consistent with the existing .au 2LD hierarchy and otherwise compliant with auDA policies.

6. How to Submit a Proposal

Please send your proposal to:

Jo Lim
Chief Policy Officer
email: jo.lim@auda.org.au
fax: 03 8341 4112

Submission by email is preferred.

All proposals will be posted on the auDA website.

The closing date for proposals is Monday 30 November 2009.

For further information, please email Jo Lim .

 

 

Last Updated: 01/10/2009 12:21