Hi all,

well, apologies to everyone from me for having missed that the selection
criteria are in the call for proposals, not in the Terms of Reference.  I
actually hadn't got around to reading the call for new 2LDs - I'd only got
up to reading the TOR.  Sorry about that folks.


Regards, Mark

Mark Hughes
Effective Business Applications Pty Ltd
effectivebusiness§pplications.com.au
www.pplications.com.au
+61 4 1374 3959




> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jo Lim [mailto:jo.lim§auda.org.au]
> Sent: Sunday, 28 April 2002 11:52
> To: dns§lists.auda.org.au
> Subject: RE: [DNS] RE: auDA to consider new names for .au
>
>
> Hi Mark
>
> See the Call for New 2LD Proposals document at
> http://www.auda.org.au/policy/panel-newname-2002/proposals.html
>
> This document clearly lists the matters that proposals should address
> under each category. For example, proposals for new closed 2LDs should
> include:
>
> a. the actual name of the 2LD (eg. "name.au")
> b. the purpose of the 2LD
> c. the intended users of the 2LD (including registrants and
> non-registrants who would benefit from the 2LD)
> d. the estimated number of potential registrants in the 2LD
> e. the funding model for 2LD operations
> f. a statement addressing the selection criteria
> g. an indication of why the 2LD should be closed rather than open and
> what value is added by it being closed..
> h. the eligibility criteria that would apply in the 2LD
> i. the policy rules that would apply in the 2LD
> j. the peak body that would manage the 2LD.
>
> It also lists the following selection criteria to be used by the Panel
> in evaluating proposals:
>
> 1. The 2LD must be robust, sustainable and viable. For example, in the
> case of closed 2LDs there should be a clear, long-term commitment from
> the body which it is proposed would manage the 2LD.
> 2. The 2LD should serve the needs of users, or a community of users,
> that are not well served by the existing 2LDs. For example, a proposal
> should define the user group and indicate clearly why its needs are not
> as well served at present as they would be with the proposed 2LD.
> 3. There must be clear support for the 2LD, in particular among the
> users it is intended to serve, and in general terms from the wider
> community. Strong evidence of this support should be provided (eg.
> letters of support, the resolution of a governing body, or survey
> evidence). There should be clear evidence that user community support is
> broadly representative of that community. Reasonable objections to the
> creation of the 2LD from the wider community will be taken into account
> by the Panel during its public consultation.
> 4. The 2LD should widen the choice of domain names available to users of
> the Australian DNS. For example, a proposed 2LD that simply duplicates
> an existing 2LD will generally not be considered to widen the choice of
> available domain names.
>
> I would encourage people to read this document and, if intending to
> submit a proposal to auDA, make sure they have addressed all relevant
> matters.
>
> Regards
>
> Jo Lim
> Chief Policy Officer
> .au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA)
> ph 03 9349 4711    mob 0410 553 233
>
> Join the auDA Announcements list
> http://www.auda.org.au/list/announce
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Hughes [mailto:effectivebusiness§pplications.com.au]
> Sent: Saturday, 27 April 2002 3:50 PM
> To: dns§lists.auda.org.au
> Subject: RE: [DNS] RE: auDA to consider new names for .au
>
> Most of the comments on this list about the possibility of new 2LDs in
> .au
> appear to be in the category of:
>
> "I don't agree with creating new 2LDs, even though I have no idea what
> might
> be proposed, and therefore no idea what I'm objecting to".
>
> I recommend that people focus on concrete things to object to, rather
> than
> worrying about things that might never occur.
>
> If you're looking for things worthy of scrutiny, here's something for
> y'all
> to work on.....
>
>
>
> First, have a read of the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the New Names
> Advisory Panel.  Its at
> http://www.auda.org.au/policy/panel-newname-2002/tor.html.
>
> There are a couple of areas in it that concern me, and may be of
> interest to
> others on the list.
>
>
>
>
>
> First Concern - have a look at points 1 & 2 under 'Activity and
> Outcome'.
> The TOR states:
>
> "1 auDA will issue a call for proposals for new 2LDs in the following
> categories:
> 1.1 Proposals for new open 2LDs
> 1.2 Proposals for new closed 2LDs
> 1.3 Proposals for new geographic 2LDs
> 1.4 Proposals for re-activating the existing conf.au and info.au 2LDs
> The auDA Board will specify the selection criteria applicable in each
> category.
>
> 2 The NNAP will evaluate new 2LD proposals using the selection criteria
> specified by the auDA Board."
>
>
> Surely that begs a few questions.  Such as:
>
> * What exactly is meant here by "Selection Criteria"?  Criteria that
> determines whether a proposal is for an 'open' or a 'closed' 2LD?
> Criteria
> that determines which of two competing proposals for the same 2LD gets
> preference?  Eligibility criteria for Registrants in a proposed new 2LD?
> What??
> * Since this appears to be a policy issue, not a procedural issue, why
> is
> the auDA board, rather than the New Names Advisory Panel setting the
> criteria?
> * These criteria appear to be critical to any proposed new 2LD, since
> they're going to be used to evaluate the proposals.  So how does a
> proposal
> for a new 2LD (due in by 31 May) address criteria that are unknown?  Are
> people going to spend their time submitting proposals only to find that
> the
> proposal has no hope of getting up because it doesn't meet some
> criterion
> that isn't known?
> * What's supposed to happen - is the auDA board going to have a look at
> the
> proposals, and then invent the selection criteria to evaluate them
> against?
> * If the criteria already exist why aren't they spelled out in the TOR?
>
>
> auDA extending the closing date for submissions until one month after
> the
> selection criteria are made public might be a sensible move.  That gives
> time to determine a) whether its appropriate for the board to set those
> criteria and b) what the criteria are.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Second Concern -
>
> "The chair of the NNAP will be Derek Whitehead, Director Information
> Resources, Swinburne University of Technology."
>
> Derek chaired auDA's first panel - the review of 2LD policies - and had
> the
> difficult task of being the groundbreaker and trying to work out how
> these
> policy development panels could be made to work in the real world.
> Therefore I have a fair bit of sympathy for his task on that panel.
> However, the actual outcome of that panel (the report) struggles to get
> more
> than an 'average pass' mark because it didn't address many detailed
> policy
> issues and avoided taking some difficult decisions.  The effects of that
> 'average' report have not been significant as long as monopoly
> Registrar's
> remained.  The introduction of competing Registrars in the future will
> inevitably highlight the inadequacies of the outcome of that Name Policy
> Review Panel.
>
> I can guarantee that in the months after the introduction of the new
> system
> with competing Registrars, this discussion list will spend much time
> arguing
> backwards and forwards issues that should have been resolved in the
> original
> Name Policy review panel report, but weren't.
>
> I don't mind auDA selecting Derek again to chair this new panel (he's
> experienced in this area), but the standard of the report this time had
> better be higher.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Regards, Mark
>
> Mark Hughes
> Effective Business Applications Pty Ltd
> effectivebusiness§pplications.com.au
> www.pplications.com.au
> +61 4 1374 3959
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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