Smartcall Response on the EOI

["Ursula le Roux" <Ursulalr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Good afternoon

 

The most helpful comments will provide rationale along with opinions on
the following issues:


How do we ensure that participation in the EOI accurately represents the
level of interest? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT] A substantial deposit must be paid when submitting
the EOI. Part of this deposit, "the fee" should be non-refundable no
matter what the outcome of the EOI and RFP process.

 

Should only those who participate in the EOI be eligible to participate
in the first round when the program officially launches? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT] Yes definitely. This is the only way to get a true
idea of the number of applicants and the potential issues with the RFP
process

 

Should a deposit be required for participation in the EOI? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT] Definitely as it will ensure that only interested
parties will participate

 

If there is a fee, under what circumstances should there be refund? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT] There should be no circumstances for a fee refund as
there will be costs in this process and the fees will be required to
cover these costs. The remainder of the deposit should however be
refundable if the applicant decides to not continue with the RFP
process.

 

What information should be collected from EOI participants?

5.1  What subset of applicant questions found in the Applicant Guidebook
at 
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/draft-evaluation-criteria-clean
-04oct09-en.pdf should be answered? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  The EOI should not be a laborious time consuming
exercise so only minimal information should be provided. This should
include the source of funds for the RFP process and the funds required
to setup the gTLD going forward. The applied for strings should also
definitely be included in priority order if the applicant has more than
1 application



5.2  Including applied-for strings?

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  This is definitely required as it is the only way
to identify how much contention there will be in the RFP process. This
is also an ideal time to inform applicants that there is string
contention and it should be used to give them the opportunity to decide
whether to proceed with an auction or it should be used to give them the
opportunity to submit a new alternative string application



5.3  Should information be made public? 

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  All information except financial and applied-for
strings should be made public

 

Must the responder commit to go live within a certain time of
delegation?

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  No, this should be qualified in the RFP process

 

What are the implications for potential changes to the Applicant
Guidebook after the EOI participation period closes?

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  The applicant guidebook has already been through a
number of iterations and any future changes should be minimal. Changes
should be allowed without any recourse from applicants involved in the
EOI

 

What are the potential risks associated with the EOI?

[SMARTCALL COMMENT]  The main risk is when there are a number of
applicants all wanting the same strings. The EOI should be used as the
platform to minimise this impact and allow potential RFP applicants an
opportunity to change their string or to back out of the process before
committing large sums of money. 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Ursula le Roux|IT Manager| Smartcall (Pty) Ltd | 
Ursulalr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:Ursulalr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> | Office:
+27.11.507.4777

 

 


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