Historical Resolution Tracking Feature » Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Metrics for the New gTLD Program per AoC Review
Important note: The explanatory text provided through this database (including the summary, implementation actions, identification of related resolutions, and additional information) is an interpretation or an explanation that has no official authority and does not represent the purpose behind the Board actions, nor does any explanations or interpretations modify or override the Resolutions themselves. Resolutions can only be modified through further act of the ICANN Board.
Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Metrics for the New gTLD Program per AoC Review
Resolution of the ICANN Board
Topic:
Metrics to Determine Impact of New gTLDs on Competition, Consumer Trust and Choice
Summary:
Board directs the commencement of the process under the AoC for convening the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Review Team (Review Team).
Category:
gTLDs
Meeting Date:
Thu, 18 Jul 2013
Resolution Number:
2013.07.18.05 – 2013.07.18.07
URL for Resolution:
Resolution Text:
Whereas, in the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) ICANN has committed to promoting competition, consumer trust and consumer choice, and to organizing a review that will examine the extent to which the introduction or expansion of gTLDs has promoted competition, consumer trust and consumer choice when New gTLDs have been in operation for one year.
Whereas, on 10 December 2010 the ICANN Board requested that the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) and the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) provide advice on establishing the definition, measures, and three year targets for competition, consumer trust and consumer choice in the context of the domain name system, which resulted in the Board receiving advice this year from the GNSO Council and the ALAC, each offering recommendations on specific metrics.
Resolved (2013.07.18.05), the Board thanks the GNSO Council and the ALAC for their advice letters, and thanks the ICANN community for the significant efforts undertaken in response to the Board’s request.
Resolved (2013.07.18.06), that the Board directs the CEO to commence the process under the AoC for convening of the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team (Review Team), for the purpose of: (i) evaluating and reporting to the Board on the feasibility, utility and cost-effectiveness of adopting the recommendations of the GNSO Council and the ALAC; (ii) evaluating other inputs, including historical data regarding metrics used to evaluate earlier rounds of New gTLDs (2000, 2004); (iii) engaging with the GNSO, ALAC and staff in an effort to reach agreement on the metrics; and (iv) proposing a set of metrics to be compiled by ICANN for use in the future AoC Review of the New GTLD Program.
Resolved (2013.07.18.07), that the Board directs the President and CEO to analyze each of the proposed metrics to: (i) evaluate its feasibility and utility, (ii) evaluate whether the implementation costs associated with its collection are reasonable in light of the value of the information to be revealed; and (iii) to provide such analysis to the Review Team when convened. Where the Review Team determines that the metrics from the GNSO Council or the ALAC do not meet these criteria, the review team will consult with the GNSO and ALAC to share its rationale, and determine whether the collective set of metrics recommended by the Review Team sufficiently address the goals of the GNSO and the ALAC.
Rationale for Resolution:
The advice letters submitted by the GNSO Council and ALAC reflect the extensive thought and analysis conducted by the ICANN community to help guide ICANN in preparing for the upcoming review of the New gTLD Program that is to commence one year after the first new TLDs are delegated.
The Board request for this advice followed community calls for metrics – objective measures that could be used to assess ICANN’s performance in the areas of consumer trust, competition, and consumer choice. As new gTLDs will be delegated this year, it is important that ICANN identify the metrics and begin collecting data that may be used by the future Review Team (required under the Affirmation of Commitments, or AoC) to conduct its analysis. The Board’s resolution calls for the President and CEO to commence the process described in the AoC for convening of the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team now (rather than wait for the New gTLD Program to be in operation for one year) to: evaluate and report on the feasibility, utility and cost-effectiveness of implementing the various consumer metrics recommended by the Community; evaluating other inputs, including historical data regarding metrics used to evaluate earlier rounds of new gTLDs (2000, 2004); engage with the GNSO and ALAC to identify agreement on metrics; and ultimately to propose a series of metrics for the Board to approve, to be collected for use in the future review to be conducted under the AoC. If, after discussing this with the GNSO and ALAC, the Review Team ultimately recommends against using a metric proposed by the GNSO Council and/or ALAC, the Review Team is expected to provide an explanation to the Board.
The Review Team will work in two phases: phase one will occur as soon as the Review Team is appointed by the President and CEO and GAC Chair, and involves engaging the Community, as well as ICANN, evaluating and reporting on metrics proposed by the GNSO Council and ALAC, and recommending the metrics to be collected by ICANN in preparation for the upcoming review of the New gTLD Program; and phase two will occur after new gTLDs have been in operation for one year and involves examining the extent to which the introduction or expansion of gTLDs has promoted competition, consumer trust, and consumer choice.
Once the proposed metrics are delivered to the Board at the conclusion of phase one, the Review Team’s work would be suspended until the new gTLDs have been in operation for one year. At the beginning of Phase two, the composition of the Review Team would be reconfirmed by the CEO and GAC Chair, to allow for substituting or augmenting its members, as appropriate. In the interim, ICANN will develop the systems to collect the metrics approved through this process.
This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.