gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.NGO	Public Interest Registry	pir.org	View

PIR is a NGO, and thereby part of the NGO Community. PIR as a NGO has extensive gTLD management experience via the .ORG gTLD. PIR a supporting organization to the Internet Society (ISOC) and is committed to supporting the Internet Society’s (ISOC) mission stated below.

History of PIR’s Relationship to the NGO Community
In January 2003, PIR, assumed responsibility for operating .ORG and maintaining the authoritative database of all .ORG domains.

Created in 1984, .ORG is one of the Internetʹs original seven top-level domains (TLDs), along with .com, .net, etc. Although it is ʺopenʺ and ʺunrestrictedʺ, .ORG has been the domain of choice for organizations dedicated to serving the public interest. The high regard of these well-intentioned organizations was soon conferred to this domain, and today .ORG is considered around the world to be the domain of trust.

Public Interest Registry’s (PIR) primary activity is to maintain the .ORG domain registry as the exemplary top level domain (TLD) registry service, by advocating for higher standards of Internet security, safety and reliability. PIR’s mission is to facilitate the effective use of a global Internet among non-commercial and other Internet users worldwide. In its relationship with the ISOC, (reference Evaluation Questions #9a and #9b), PIR is committed to supporting ISOC’s goals of encouraging the evolution of the Internet as research, education and communication infrastructure equally accessible to the global non-commercial, NGO and nonprofit community. PIR’s activities also include funding educational programs focused on expanding the knowledge and ability of non-commercial, NGO and nonprofit organizations located in technologically deprived areas of the world to more efficiently and effectively use the Internet as a tool to better accomplish their important mission.

The 2003 transition of .ORG from the previous operator to PIR was the largest transfer in Internet history. More than 2.6 million domains were transferred in about a day, without negatively impacting any .ORG registrant or website.

Since 2003, PIR has been connected with NGOs through our management of .ORG, and recently in preparation for our pursuit of the .NGO gTLD domain, we have worked closely with the NGO Community to develop the requirements and specification for the proposed .NGO gTLD.

Current Relationship to the NGO Community
PIR is a strong supporter of NGOs in both a direct role as manager of the .ORG gTLD and through other efforts, including:
• A ʺStrategic and Sponsoring Partnerʺ of NTEN, the Non-Profit Technology Network of 10,000 members and over 30,000 participants in the community, covering 126 countries. NTEN aspires to a world where all nonprofit organizations use technology skillfully and confidently to meet community needs and fulfill their missions.
• Making financial contributions to various organizations, such as the NCUC (Non Commercial Constituency of ICANN) and Centr. For NCUC, annual donations have been in the $5,000 to $15,000 range every year since PIR assumed operations of the .ORG registry.
• In December 2005, PIR sponsored a symposium at the Nelson Mandela Center in Cape Town, South Africa bringing in various Internet leaders in Africa to discuss the needs of the Internet in Africa.
• In response to Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, Louisiana, PIR donated $1 for every new create for a limited time. The final donation was over $100,000 to the Red Cross.
• In response to JapanʹsTsunami disaster, a 3 month program was rolled out to waive renewal fees for Japanese domain name holders, in order to help those affected and unable to renew their .ORG domains.

Within the community, there is a wide appreciation of PIR’s role as an advocate of “do good” for the Internet at large, and in many countries around the world there is a general perception that .ORG domains are more trusted than other domains. At the time of application submission, PIR manages nearly 10 million .ORG domains, and is seen to do so in an exemplary way. We are very happy to be judged on this reputation.

PIR has over 500 letters of support from the NGO Community endorsing its application for .NGO. PIR will continue outreach to the community and anticipates receipt of additional support letters from NGOs throughout the ICANN application evaluation process. Specific recognition of PIR’s efforts to support the nonprofit community includes:
• “As a not-for-profit corporation, we believe that being part of the .org domain has done much to reinforce MITRE’s identity as an organization chartered to work in the public interest. [Thanks to PIR’s] continuing work to enhance the .org domain.ʺ - Al Grasso, President and CEO, The MITRE Corporation (the first .ORG registrant).
• “We recognize and applaud PIRʹs long-standing commitment to the non-profit community since taking over the management of .ORG.” - Lisa Vogt, APR, Director of Marketing & Communications, SOS Children’s Villages – USA.

PIR has conducted outreach, worked with established relationships, and developed new types of relationships which will facilitate the delivery of the .NGO domain and related services to the NGO Community. Our discussions and outreach have included NGOs in several countries across Asia, Europe, North America, South America⁄Latin America, and Africa as well as many different segments of the NGO Community to ensure wide acceptance and adoption of our proposed gTLD domain and related services. The segments include but are not limited to agriculture, environment, arts⁄culture, charitable services, human rights, humanitarian, and advocacy for a range of issues affecting societal development.

Accountability to the NGO Community
By offering .NGO as a secure and well-managed domain of trust uniquely for eligible NGOs, PIR believes that NGOs can benefit from the Internet and our specific services as a means to safely and reliably reach out to the community and sponsors. PIR will be accountable to the NGO Community by:
• A NGO Community input process soliciting input from the community through the NGO Advisory Council drawn from the community and accepting a broad range of input to stay current on the issues of importance to the community and manage the NGO verification process;
• Creating and marketing .NGO as a distinctive place on the Internet for NGOs to differentiate and promote their organization;
• Establishing community programs to support capacity building of NGOs with technical and educational platforms;
• Enforcing registration policies that elevate the integrity of the domains in the .NGO gTLD name space, soliciting input from the NGO Community;
• Easing discovery and promotion through the creation, management and promotion of the .NGO gTLD;
• Offering registration from a proven, scalable registry platform that can ensure 100% DNS availability;
• Delivering a challenge process for the NGO Community to dispute the legitimacy of a .NGO registrant or its activity on a .NGO domain; and,
• As a community priority gTLD, PIR is committing to manage the .NGO domain with participation of the community. Failing to do that would put our registry contract in jeopardy.

PIR is in an excellent position to provide such support to the NGO Community given documented experience running a stable and trusted registry. PIR holds a track record demonstrating good intent to the global community by being a leader in activities such as implementation of anti-abuse policies, DNSSEC, active participation in numerous public interest events, etc.

gTLD	Full Legal Name	E-mail suffix	Detail
.bbb	Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.	cscinfo.com	View

RESPONSE to (b)

I. Relations to Community Organizations

The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) is the umbrella organization that coordinates the standards and policies for all local Better Business Bureaus (BBB) and ensures compliance therewith. CBBB holds the trademarks for the BBB system, promotes the BBB brand, and protects the trademarks and copyright materials on behalf of the system.

CBBB serves as a unified national voice on behalf of the BBBs and enters into membership and licensing agreements with each BBB. The BBBs contribute revenue to operate CBBB based on Accredited Business (AB) and Accredited Charity (AC) dues or fees.

The BBBs vote for directors of the CBBB board and there must be a minimum of six BBB CEOs and five BBB board directors on CBBB’s board. The Board supervises and controls the busi¬ness, property and affairs of the Council and can amend the Council Bylaws. Thus, BBBs have a significant voice in the duties and leadership of CBBB through their board memberships and other positions in CBBB’s governance system.

CBBB is the sole member of the single membership corporation, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. As such, CBBB controls the duties and leadership of the BBB WGA.

In sum, the CBBB has a symbiotic and deeply interconnected relationship with members of the .bbb community.

II. Relations to the Community and its Constituent Parts⁄Groups

The Council of Better Business Bureaus has very close and long-standing relations to the community and its constituent parts⁄groups.

Relations to Community

CBBB was formed in 1970 by the merger of the National Better Business Bureau and the Association of Better Business Bureaus. Since its creation, CBBB has been serving local BBBs, the BBB WGA, ABs and ACs to help promote marketplace trust and maintain the strength of the Better Business Bureau brand.

CBBB accomplishes this through supporting .bbb community members in the following ways:

• CBBB registers, manages and enforces the BBB family of trademarks which are registered in the U.S, Canada, EU, Mexico, India, Japan and other countries.
• CBBB, directly and through BBBs, pursues thousands of infringements of BBB trademarks per year through cease and desist notices, case filings, UDRP actions and website suspension requests.
• CBBB purchases and administers services that report on infringement of the BBB trademarks on the Internet and abroad at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars per year.
• CBBB manages hundreds of domains on behalf of the BBBs including the BBB and BBB WGA defensive registrations.
• CBBB purchases certain litigation insurance on behalf of the BBBs, and CBBB lawyers assist in litigation brought against BBBs upon request.
• CBBB legal and policy staff respond to BBB and BBB WGA requests for policy and legal advice on a daily basis.
• CBBB operates the national website on behalf of all BBBs.
• CBBB issues press releases and alerts on behalf of all BBBs.
• CBBB provides the national social media platforms, and manages the mobile application platform for all BBBs.
• CBBB provides marketing support to local BBBs⁄BBB WGA.
• CBBB staff assists and coordinates all of the BBB governance committees which set the policies for BBBs.
• CBBB staff evaluates and audits individual BBBs to ensure compliance with all policies governing BBBs.
• CBBB staff coordinates the international programs and relationships on behalf of all BBBs.
• CBBB information technology staff assists BBBs and BBB WGA with technical national operating concerns.
• CBBB administers many self-regulatory programs which bring national acclaim to the BBB brand including the National Advertising Division, BBB AUTO LINE and other industry or business-specific Dispute Resolution Programs, the EU Safe Harbor Privacy Program, and the Online Behavioral Advertising Program.
• CBBB provides educational webinars and training to local BBBs.
• CBBB works with BBBs in setting standards for ethical business⁄charity behavior.
• CBBB legal and policy staff assists with ratings development (about four million businesses rated).
• CBBB assists with development of accreditation agreements.
• CBBB addresses complaints from businesses that involve the ratings by the BBBs and from consumers who may be dissatisfied with how a BBB handled their complaint.
• CBBB provides staffing for BBB WGA.

Relations to Constituent Parts⁄Groups
CBBB, in partnership with local BBBs, the BBB WGA, ABs and ACs, is dedicated to fostering honest and responsive relationships between businesses⁄charities and consumers⁄donors, instilling consumer⁄donor confidence and contributing to a trustworthy marketplace for all.
CBBB, directly and through BBBs, accomplishes this through the following activities, programs and initiatives for consumers and donors:
• Setting detailed standards of accountability for businesses and charities.
• Reviewing and resolving consumer and donor complaints against businesses and charities.
• Monitoring compliance by accredited businesses and charities with the BBB standards.
• Rewarding best business practices with local and international BBB Torch Awards.
• Operating a tax-exempt organization for education in ethics and business accountability.
• Issuing consumer alerts via social media platforms and BBB websites to warn of fraudulent and predatory business and charity practices.
• Cooperating with law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission by exchanging information concerning questionable or illegal marketplace activities.

III. Accountability Mechanisms of the Applicant to the Community

The Applicant CBBB is accountable to the .bbb community in the following ways:

CBBB Board of Directors and Bylaws

Under the CBBB bylaws, a majority of the CBBB Board of Directors (CBBB Board) must be made up of representatives who are local BBB Chief Executive Officers and local BBB board directors representing Accredited Business members. The BBBs also cast the majority of votes that elect Directors of the CBBB Board. This governance structure ensures that there is close, strategic alignment between CBBB, local BBBs and ABs.

As mentioned throughout this new gTLD application, the proposed .bbb TLD is being sought by the CBBB to help further the core mission and purpose of promoting marketplace trust and protecting the BBB brand. The CBBB Board governs the activities of the CBBB and BBBs in carrying out that mission and purpose in accordance with the CBBB Board bylaws and as a result, will be an important accountability mechanism for the .bbb community.

.bbb Task Force

A .bbb Task Force has been established consisting of BBB CEOs, BBB staff and CBBB legal, marketing and policy staff to consult on the .bbb application process, propose implementation policies governing how .bbb domains will be awarded and revoked, how the .bbb domains will be priced, the terms and policies applicable to registrants of .bbb domains and the marketing thereof. The recommendations of the .bbb Task Force will be brought before the BBB Operating Committee and CBBB Board for approval.