Executive Summary
I. GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE APPLICANT
C1 The first section of the .org Proposal (after the signed copy of this document) covers general information about the applicant. Please key your responses to the designators (C2, C3, C4, etc.) below.
C2 The full legal name, principal address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the applicant, and the URL of its principal world wide web site.
C3 A general description of the applicant's business and other activities.
C4 The applicant's type of entity (e.g., corporation, partnership, etc.) and law (e.g., Denmark) under which it is organized. Please state whether the applicant is for-profit or non-profit. If it is non-profit, please provide a detailed statement of its mission.
C5 Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number (if any) of the applicant.
C6 The number of employees currently employed by the applicant.
C7 The applicant's total revenue (in US dollars) in the last-ended fiscal year.
C8 Full names and positions of (i) all directors, (ii) all officers, (iii) all relevant managers, and (iv) any persons or entities owning five percent or more of the applicant.
C9 Provide the name, telephone and fax number, and e-mail address of person to contact for additional information regarding this application. If there are multiple people, please list all their names, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses and describe the areas as to which each should be contacted.
C10 Intentionally omitted.
II. STATEMENT OF CAPABILITIES OF THE APPLICANT AND CONTRACTED SERVICE PROVIDERS
C11 As stated in the Criteria for Assessing Proposals, "ICANN's first priority is to preserve the stability of the Internet" and "ICANN will place significant emphasis on the demonstrated ability of the applicant or a member of the proposing team to operate a TLD registry of significant scale in a manner that provides affordable services with a high degree of service responsiveness and reliability." This section of the .org Proposal offers the applicant the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to operate the .org registry in that manner.
Throughout this document, operation of the .org registry, including providing all associated Registry Services, as defined in subsection 1.16 of the model .org Registry Agreement, is referred to as the "Registry Function".
C12 State whether the applicant intends to perform all aspects of the Registry Function, or whether the applicant intends to outsource some or all aspects of the Registry Function to other entities that will provide services or facilities under contract with the applicant. If any portion(s) of the services or facilities will be provided by another entity under contract, please describe which portion(s), state the time period during which they will be provided under contract, and identify what entity will be providing the services or facilities.
C13 Identify by name each entity other than the applicant that will provide any of the following:
- all services and facilities used to perform the Registry Function;
- any portion of the services and facilities used to perform the Registry Function accounting for 10% or more of overall costs of the Registry Function; or
- any portion of any of the services and facilities used to perform the following parts of the Registry Function accounting for 25% or more of overall costs of the part: database operation, zone file generation, zone file distribution and publication, billing and collection, data escrow and backup, customer (registrar) support, and Whois service.
C13.1 The full legal name, principal address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the entity, and the URL of its principal world wide web site.C14 For each entity identified in item C13, please state the scope and terms of the contract under which the facilities or services will be provided and attach documentary evidence that the entity has committed to enter into that contract.
C13.2 A general description of the entity's business and other activities.
C13.3 The entity's type (e.g., corporation, partnership, etc.) and law (e.g., Denmark) under which it is organized. Please state whether the entity is for-profit or non-profit. If it is non-profit, please provide a detailed statement of its mission.
C13.4 Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S Number (if any) of the entity.
C13.5 The number of employees currently employed by the entity.
C13.6 The entity's total revenue (in US dollars) in the last-ended fiscal year.
[ICANN's evaluation of your response to item C15 will be a major factor in the selection of a successor .org operator. We recommend that you give a detailed, specific response.]
C15 Describe in detail the abilities of the applicant and the entities identified in item C13 to operate a TLD registry of significant scale in a manner that provides affordable services with a high degree of service responsiveness and reliability. Your response should give specifics, including significant past or present achievements and activities of the applicant and the entities identified in item C13 that demonstrate the described abilities. It should also include information about key technical personnel (qualifications and experience), size of technical workforce, and access to systems development tools.
III. TECHNICAL PLAN (INCLUDING TRANSITION PLAN)
C16 The third section of the .org Proposal is a description of your technical plan. This section must include a comprehensive, professional-quality technical plan that provides a full description of the proposed technical solution for transitioning and operating all aspects of the Registry Function. The topics listed below are representative of the type of subjects that will be covered in the technical plan section of the .org Proposal.
[ICANN will extensively review and analyze this section of the .org Proposal. The content, clarity, and professionalism of this section will be important factors in ICANN's evaluation of applications. We strongly recommend that those who are planning to apply secure professional assistance from engineers and/or other technical consultants to aid in the formulation of the technical plan and the preparation of the technical plan section of the .org Proposal.]
C17 Technical plan for performing the Registry Function. This should present a comprehensive technical plan for performing the Registry Function. In addition to providing basic information concerning the proposed technical solution (with appropriate diagrams), this section offers the applicant an opportunity to demonstrate that it has carefully analyzed the technical requirements for performing the Registry Function. Factors that should be addressed in the technical plan include:
C17.1 General description of proposed facilities and systems. Address all locations of systems. Provide diagrams of all of the systems operating at each location. Address the specific types of systems being used, their capacity, and their interoperability, general availability, and level of security. Describe buildings, hardware, software systems, environmental equipment, Internet connectivity, etc.C18 Transition Plan. This should present a detailed plan for the transition of the Registry Function from the current facilities and services provided by VeriSign, Inc., to the facilities and services you propose. Issues that should be discussed in this detailed plan include:
C17.2 Registry-registrar model and protocol. Please describe in detail, including a full (to the extent feasible) statement of the proposed RRP and EPP implementations. See also item C22 below.
C17.3 Database capabilities. Database size, throughput, scalability, procedures for object creation, editing, and deletion, change notifications, registrar transfer procedures, grace period implementation, reporting capabilities, etc.
C17.4 Zone file generation. Procedures for changes, editing by registrars, updates. Address frequency, security, process, interface, user authentication, logging, data back-up.
C17.5 Zone file distribution and publication. Locations of nameservers, procedures for and means of distributing zone files to them. If you propose to employ the VeriSign global resolution and distribution facilities described in subsection 5.1.5 of the current .org registry agreement, please provide details of this aspect of your proposal.
C17.6 Billing and collection systems. Technical characteristics, system security, accessibility.
C17.7 Data escrow and backup. Frequency and procedures for backup of data. Describe hardware and systems used, data format, identity of escrow agents, procedures for retrieval of data/rebuild of database, etc.
C17.8 Publicly accessible look up/Whois service. Address software and hardware, connection speed, search capabilities, coordination with other Whois systems, etc.
C17.9 System security. Technical and physical capabilities and procedures to prevent system hacks, break-ins, data tampering, and other disruptions to operations. Physical security.
C17.10 Peak capacities. Technical capability for handling a larger-than-projected demand for registration. Effects on load on servers, databases, back-up systems, support systems, escrow systems, maintenance, personnel.
C17.11 Technical and other support. Support for registrars and for Internet users and registrants. Describe technical help systems, personnel accessibility, web-based, telephone and other support, support services to be offered, time availability of support, and language-availability of support.
C17.12 Compliance with specifications. Describe the extent of proposed compliance with technical specifications, including compliance with at least the following RFCs: 954, 1034, 1035, 1101, 2181, 2182.
C17.13 System reliability. Define, analyze, and quantify quality of service.
C17.14 System outage prevention. Procedures for problem detection, redundancy of all systems, back up power supply, facility security, technical security, availability of back up software, operating system, and hardware, system monitoring, technical maintenance staff, server locations.
C17.15 System recovery procedures. Procedures for restoring the system to operation in the event of a system outage, both expected and unexpected. Identify redundant/diverse systems for providing service in the event of an outage and describe the process for recovery from various types of failures, the training of technical staff who will perform these tasks, the availability and backup of software and operating systems needed to restore the system to operation, the availability of the hardware needed to restore and run the system, backup electrical power systems, the projected time for restoring the system, the procedures for testing the process of restoring the system to operation in the event of an outage, the documentation kept on system outages and on potential system problems that could result in outages.
C17.16 Registry failure provisions. Please describe in detail your plans for dealing with the possibility of a registry failure due to insolvency or other factors that preclude restored operation.
C18.1 Steps of the proposed transition, including sequencing and scheduling.C19 Please describe in detail mechanisms that you propose to implement to ensure compliance with ICANN-developed policies and the requirements of the registry agreement.
C18.2 The duration and extent of any interruption of any part of the Registry Function.
C18.3 Contingency plans in the event any part of the proposed transition does not proceed as planned.
C18.4 The effect of the transition on (a) .org registrants and (b) Internet users seeking to resolve .org domain names.
C18.5 The specifics of cooperation required from VeriSign, Inc.
C18.6 Any relevant experience of the applicant and the entities identified in item C13 in performing similar transitions.
C18.7 Any proposed criteria for the evaluation of the success of the transition.
IV. PROVISIONS FOR EQUIVALENT ACCESS BY ACCREDITED REGISTRARS
C20 The selected successor operator for the .org registry will be required to provide all ICANN-accredited registrars having registry-registrar agreements in effect with equivalent access to registry services through a shared registry system, under which those registrars will provide services (either directly or through resellers) to registrants. This section of the .org Proposal covers the applicant's proposed arrangements for interacting with registrars in a manner that provides equivalent access.
C21 Describe in detail your proposed methods of providing registry services on an equivalent basis to all accredited registrars having registry-registrar agreements in effect. Your description should include any measures intended to make registration, technical assistance, and other services available to ICANN-accredited registrars in different time zones and relevant languages. In addition, describe the Registry Code of Conduct and other commitments you propose to make to ensure that all such registrars receive equivalent access to registry services. In preparing your response to this item, you may wish to refer to Appendices H and I of the registry agreements ICANN has entered for unsponsored TLDs (e.g., .biz, .com, .info, .name, and .pro).
C22 VeriSign, Inc., the current operator of the .org registry uses a registry-registrar protocol (RRP) documented in RFC 2832. At the time of the transition, the selected successor operator will be required to continue to support the RRP (unless a migration of registrars in .org to another protocol has already been completed by that time). In addition, the selected successor operator will be required to implement support for the IETF provreg working group's protocol specification for an Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) no later than 135 days after it is adopted as a Proposed Standard [RFC 2026, section 4.1.1]. Provide a detailed description of your plan for supporting RRP at the time of transition, for supporting EPP within the required time frame, and for providing registrars with a smooth, low-cost migration path from RRP to EPP.
C23 Intentionally omitted.
C24 Intentionally omitted.
V. PROPOSED REGISTRY SERVICES
C25 Describe each Registry Service (as defined in subsection 1.16 of the model .org Registry Agreement) that you propose to provide for a fee. For an example of a description of this type, see
C26 State the maximum price you propose for each Registry Service identified in item C25.
C27 Describe each Registry Service (as defined in subsection 1.16 of the model .org Registry Agreement) that you propose to provide without charging a fee.
C28 Describe the technical performance (including quality-of-service commitments) you propose to make. See
C29 Intentionally omitted.
VI. ENHANCEMENT OF COMPETITION
C30 One of ICANN's core principles is the encouragement of competition in the provision of registration services at both the registry and registrar levels. Promotion of that principle will be a criterion. As one illustration of this criterion, a major purpose of the reassignment of the .org registry is to diversify the provision of registry services by placing the .org registry under different operation than the .com and .net registries. Consideration will be given to the extent to which proposed arrangements are consistent with this purpose. As another illustration, applicants are encouraged to refrain from prohibiting non-affiliated providers of backend services from offering their services in connection with other applications. This section of the .org Proposal concerns the effect on competition of the selection of a successor registry operator.
C31 Give your analysis of how selecting your application would affect competition in the provision of registration services at both the registry and registrar level.
C32 State whether the applicant or any entity identified in item C13 operates a DNS registry having more than 500,000 registered names and, if so, provide details.
C33 Describe in detail all affiliations, including direct or indirect ownership and contractual arrangements (including letters of intent) for the past, present, or future provision of registry services, between (a) the applicant or any entity identified in item C13 and (b) any operator of a DNS registry having more than 500,000 registered names.
C34 Intentionally omitted.
VII. RESPONSIVENESS TO THE NONCOMMERCIAL INTERNET USER COMMUNITY
C35 Describe in detail the mechanisms you propose for ensuring that the policies and practices followed in your operation of the .org registry are responsive to and supportive of the noncommercial Internet user community, and reflect as much of its diversity as possible. Your description should include any affiliation you propose with representative noncommercial organizations and details (including proposed bylaws or other chartering documents) regarding any governing or advisory groups that you propose.
C36 Submit any evidence that demonstrates support for your proposal among registrants in the .org TLD, particularly those actually using .org domain names for noncommercial purposes. Support from diverse noncommercial entities from across the global Internet community will be considered in the selection.
C37 Intentionally omitted.
VIII. DIFFERENTIATION OF THE .ORG TLD
C38 Describe any measures you propose to make to differentiate the .org TLD from TLDs intended for commercial purposes. Your proposal should describe in detail any planned marketing practices designed to differentiate the .org TLD, promote and attract registrations from the global noncommercial community, and minimize defensive and duplicative registrations.
C39 Intentionally omitted.
IX. THE VERISIGN ENDOWMENT
C40 The current .org registry agreement between ICANN and VeriSign, Inc., states:
5.1.4 No later than 90 days prior to the Expiration Date, [VeriSign] will pay to ICANN or ICANN's designee the sum of US $5 million, to be used by ICANN in it sole discretion to establish an endowment to be used to fund future operating costs of the non-profit entity designated by ICANN as successor operator of the .org registry. [VeriSign] agrees that such funds, once paid to ICANN, will become the property of ICANN and/or ICANN's designee, and that [VeriSign] will have no ownership or other rights or interests in such funds or in the manner in which they are used or disbursed.C41 Do you propose to seek to qualify to receive any funds from this endowment?
C41.1 If so, describe in detail how you propose to use this endowment. Include the commitments you propose to make about the uses to which the endowment would be put. Explain why those uses are consistent with the smooth, stable transition and operation of the .org TLD for the benefit of current and future .org registrants.C42-49 Intentionally omitted.
C41.2 If you propose to seek to qualify to receive the endowment funds, explain why you believe that your proposed use is consistent with the terms of the endowment.
[Section 50 is located in the Attachments page.]