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In an effort to more equitable apply the fees
collected to the cost of evaluating the new sponsored TLD's, i beleive the
community can learn from the first "Lottery" in 2000.
The Lottery aspects occurred when the costs of
evaluating, negotiating and "examining after the fact" were lumped together an
charged to the application fees of all applicants.
In this manner, the fees of those rejected were
used to pay the expenses of the select few that were approved...creating a
subsidy for the winners.
I propose the board examine a possibly fairer
treatment where the cost of evaluating alone is covered by the initial fee
and only accepted applicants pay the total costs of negotiating final
agreements, pre relaease ICANN allocated expenses, and the costs of a
continual evaluation of this second stage process.
In essence, there would be a separate allocation of
post selection expenses paid by those groups who are to receive the new
STLD's. Those accepted will already have to start paying their fixed
allocations of the ICANN budget before launch. The additional costs
ICANN incurs to reach final agreements should be paid by those who directly
benefit.
Secondly, I would ask the board to
consider a partial refund of fees, to those groups whose applications are
denied "at first glance" because of a failure, possibly in the minds of
the evaluation teams based on interpretation, to reach a minimum
aspects of the criteria.
Perhaps, if this automatically rejected applicants
fee refund deos not take place, the ICANN or evaluation staff should be
available for a sort of pre-review where groups could gain a clearer
understanding of the possible prima facie rejection of applications before
spending time and money to never make it pass the first day's
evaluation.
I submit these two additions to the criteria in an
effort to provide a more equitable and less contest/lottery
process.
Page Howe
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