Re: [soac-newgtldapsup-wg] WT 1 Fees-lower up front fee
Thanks Evan. Its a concept that has been kicked around in various circles, so why hasn't it been adopted? Do you have any feedback from the correspondence? What arguments do we need to debunk to carry this forward? Elaine On May 18, 2010, at 10:11 AM, Evan Leibovitch wrote: On 18 May 2010 12:45, Elaine Pruis <elaine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:Continuing the thread from yesterday's call.Richard suggested that applicants that meet specific criteria for assistance may benefit from not having to pay the entire fee up front.The language from the cost analysis paper is "– ICANN will collect the entire applicationevaluation fee at the time an application is submitted. This approach avoids a situation in which the applicant partially completes the application process, then may not havethe resources to continue. It also ensures that all costs are covered.The ALAC response to this (which I reproduce verbatim from within the gTLD-related statement produced at the At-Large Summit in Mexico City) is:In the place of the proposed system of refunds, we recommend a phased fee system under which an applicant would pay a portion initially and additional fees as each milestone is achieved. While ICANN will still be paid up-front for its evaluations, applicants only need pay for the stages which they are eligible to pursue.(Page 14 of http://www.atlarge.icann.org/files/atlarge/correspondence-05mar09-en.pdf)I don't see why this approach is any less valid now than it was at the time of the Summit. Each application will already be subject to review regarding its financial stability and sustainability. There is no need to use the fee structure to impose a crudely Darwinistic barrier to all but the best-funded applicants.Besides the benefits Elaine mentions, a graduated payment system also eliminates the bureaucracy needed to evaluate and process refund requests.- Evan Elaine Pruis VP Client Services elaine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx +1 509 899 3161
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