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Call for Proposals for New 2LDs

1. Introduction

auDA has issued this call for proposals for new .au second level domains (2LDs), in accordance with the recommendations of the Name Policy Advisory Panel.

For more information, refer to:

  1. New 2LDs in the Australian DNS, Report to auDA Board, June 2001
  2. New 2LDs in the Australian DNS, Public Discussion Paper, May 2001

2. Background

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

Each 2LD has a specific purpose, explained in the table below:

2LD

Purpose

asn.au

For 'associations'. Includes associations incorporated under specific state legislation, some incorporated bodies, political parties, trade unions, sporting and special interest clubs and 'partnerships' between disparate organisations.

com.au

For commercial purposes. Includes commercial entities, currently registered and trading in Australia, as well as commercial products and services.

csiro.au

For exclusive use by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

edu.au

For education-related bodies. Eligibility is demonstrated by sufficient evidence, as determined by the registrar, that the requesting body is education-related.

gov.au

For exclusive use by Australian governments. Eligibility is demonstrated by reference to an Act of Parliament or government regulation.

id.au

For individuals.

net.au

For commercial purposes. Includes commercial entities, currently registered and trading in Australia, as well as commercial products and services.

org.au

For non-commercial purposes. Includes not-for-proft organisations, charities, churches, welfare groups etc.

3. Categories for 2LD Proposals

auDA invites people to submit proposals for a single 2LD, or a group of related 2LDs, in the following categories:

3.1 New "open" 2LDs.

An "open" 2LD is open to all users, subject to relevant eligibility criteria. At the moment, there are five active open 2LDs in the .au domain: asn.au, com.au, id.au, net.au and org.au. Open 2LDs are managed by auDA. The provision of registry services for new open 2LDs will be subject to open, competitive tender. Registrar services will be provided by auDA Accreditied Registrars at the normal retail price.

Proposals for new open 2LDs should include:

  1. the actual name of the 2LD (eg. "name.au")
  2. the purpose of the 2LD
  3. the intended users of the 2LD (including registrants and non-registrants who would benefit from the 2LD)
  4. a statement addressing the selection criteria
  5. the eligibility criteria that would apply in the 2LD
  6. the policy rules that would apply in the 2LD.

3.2 New "closed" 2LDs.

A "closed" 2LD is restricted to a defined community of interest. At the moment, there are three active closed 2LDs in the .au domain: csiro.au, edu.au and gov.au. Closed 2LDs are managed by the relevant peak body for the community of interest, under an agreement with auDA which includes arrangements for registry and registrar services. Registrations in closed 2LDs may be free of charge, in which case the 2LD operations must be funded by the community of interest in some other way.

Proposals for new closed 2LDs should include:

  1. the actual name of the 2LD (eg. "name.au")
  2. the purpose of the 2LD
  3. the intended users of the 2LD (including registrants and non-registrants who would benefit from the 2LD)
  4. the estimated number of potential registrants in the 2LD
  5. the funding model for 2LD operations
  6. a statement addressing the selection criteria
  7. an indication of why the 2LD should be closed rather than open and what value is added by it being closed..
  8. the eligibility criteria that would apply in the 2LD
  9. the policy rules that would apply in the 2LD
  10. the peak body that would manage the 2LD.

3.3 New "geographic" 2LDs.

Under current policy, it is not possible to license Australian "geographic" or place names in the com.au and net.au 2LDs. The reason for this is that they are considered overly representative, in that no one person can demonstrate legitimate claim to a domain name for an entire geographical area. It has been suggested that the creation of a new geographic 2LD (or group of geographic 2LDs) might be the best way to manage the allocation of geographic domain names.

auDA acknowledges the view that geographic domain names are a potentially valuable community asset and development tool, especially in regional Australia, and that the allocation of geographic domain names should be done in a manner that best captures that community value. Therefore, priority will be given to proposals that focus on non-commercial, community use of domain names.

Proposals for new geographic 2LDs should include:

  1. the actual name of the 2LD (eg. "name.au")
  2. the purpose of the 2LD
  3. the intended users of the 2LD (including registrants and non-registrants who would benefit from the 2LD)
  4. a statement addressing the selection criteria
  5. the eligibility criteria that would apply in the 2LD
  6. the policy rules that would apply in the 2LD
  7. whether the 2LD is open or closed
  8. if closed, an indication of why the 2LD should be closed rather than open and what value is added by it being closed..
  9. if closed, the estimated number of potential registrants in the 2LD
  10. if closed, the funding model for 2LD operations
  11. if closed, the peak body that would manage the 2LD.

3.4 Changes to existing "info.au" and "conf.au" 2LDs.

The "info.au" and "conf.au" 2LDs are existing 2LDs that are not currently active. The original purpose of info.au was to identify major Australian informational resources (eg. "missingpersons.info.au"). The original purpose of conf.au was for short duration conferences and exhibitions.

Proposals for changes to info.au or conf.au should include:

  1. the purpose of the 2LD
  2. the intended users of the 2LD
  3. a statement addressing the selection criteria
  4. the eligibility criteria that would apply in the 2LD
  5. the policy rules that would apply in the 2LD
  6. whether the 2LD is open or closed
  7. if closed, an indication of why the 2LD should be closed rather than open and what value is added by it being closed..
  8. if closed, the estimated number of potential registrants in the 2LD
  9. if closed, the funding model for 2LD operations
  10. if closed, the peak body that would manage the 2LD.

4. Selection Criteria

Proposals in each of the above categories must meet the following selection criteria, in order of importance:

  1. The 2LD must be robust, sustainable and viable. For example, in the case of closed 2LDs there should be a clear, long-term commitment from the body which it is proposed would manage the 2LD.
  2. The 2LD should serve the needs of users, or a community of users, that are not well served by the existing 2LDs. For example, a proposal should define the user group and indicate clearly why its needs are not as well served at present as they would be with the proposed 2LD.
  3. 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. Strong evidence of this support should be provided (eg. letters of support, the resolution of a governing body, or survey evidence). There should be clear evidence that user community support is broadly representative of that community. Reasonable objections to the creation of the 2LD from the wider community will be taken into account by the Panel during its public consultation.
  4. The 2LD should widen the choice of domain names available to users of the Australian DNS. For example, a proposed 2LD that simply duplicates an existing 2LD will generally not be considered to widen the choice of available domain names.

5. Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated by the New Names Advisory Panel. The role of the Panel is to provide recommendations to the auDA Board. The final decision rests with the auDA Board.

The Panel’s deliberations will be informed by its Terms of Reference and by the 2001 report of the Name Policy Advisory Panel on new 2LDs, approved by the auDA Board in August 2001.

Please note the following points:

  • All proposals will be published on the auDA Web site.
  • The Panel will invite public comment on all proposals.
  • The Panel will reserve the right to seek further information from the proposer, or to request that the proposer seek further evidence of support for the proposal, or of the nature of that support. .
  • The Panel will reserve the right to recommend proposals subject to the provision of further information, or to recommend modified versions of proposals.
  • The consultation stages of the process will be used by the Panel to ensure that the final form of any proposal to the Board meets the criteria set out above, and that members of the user community have had adequate opportunity to express their views on the proposal.
  • Should a proposal be accepted, the proposer will be required to waive any rights in the proposal.

6. How to Submit a Proposal

Please send your proposal to:

Ms Jo Lim
Chief Policy Officer
auDA

email: jo.lim@auda.org.au
fax: 03 9349 5711
postal: 107 Faraday St, Carlton VIC 3053

Submission by email is preferred.

All proposals will be posted on the auDA web site within 2 working days of receipt.

The closing date for proposals HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2002 .

For further information, please email Jo Lim.

Last Updated: 07/03/2006 09:00