The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has joined the newly-created Community-Based Top Level Domain Applicants Group (CBAG), which emerged from the 45th Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meeting in Toronto (14 – 18 October 2012).

CBAG comprises 30 applicants that reflect the interests of millions of people in areas as diverse as sports, banking, and gay rights, as well as numerous other commercial and non-profit communities.

In joining CBAG, the EBU seeks to:

• defend its vision of public interest
• actively research ways to streamline the global gTLDs process, especially for community-based TLDs

At the Toronto conference, the group asked ICANN to consider the potential of a pilot evaluation of an uncontested community application.

CBAG argued this would help clarify the process for all community applications.

In March the EBU submitted an application to manage the .radio TLD for the global radio community with the full backing of the World Broadcasting Unions (WBU) and other relevant bodies.

EBU TLD Project Manager Alain Artero said joining CBAG was a positive step towards that objective.

“We are confident that ICANN will want to simplify its handling of community TLD applications in the knowledge that .radio, like other community TLDs, provides an ideal counterbalance to those interests that are strictly commercial,” he said.

Mr Artero added: “It is in ICANN’s interest to favour the evaluations of community TLDs that most closely follow the TLD programme guidelines.”

CBAG has also offered to work with ICANN on seeking solutions to other issues, such as optimizing contracts and negotiating community applications in contention.

Other conclusions from the Toronto ICANN meeting related to community TLDs:

• Most applicants agreed that the idea of a draw, announced by ICANN in October, as a way of deciding the order in which applications are assessed, is a necessary albeit less than ideal solution.
• The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), which advises ICANN on issues of public interest, approved the principle of the draw but urged ICANN to consider prioritizing geographical name TLDs, community TLDs and applications from developing countries.

The draw to determine when each application will be evaluated is due to take place between 4 – 15 December, 2012.

Interested parties may comment on the proposal until 9 November, 2012.

ABOUT THE EUROPEAN BROADCASTING UNION (EBU)

The EBU is the world's foremost alliance of public service media organizations, with Members in 56 countries in Europe and beyond.

The EBU's mission is to defend the interests of public service media and to promote their indispensible contribution to modern society. It is the point of reference for industry knowledge and expertise.

The EBU operates Eurovision, the media industry's premier distributor and producer of top quality live sport and news, as well as entertainment, culture and music content.

The Eurovision satellite and fibre network is the largest and most reliable in the world directly plugged in to public service media everywhere.
 

Note: On 02/11/2012    CBAG has been renamed CTAG  (Community TLDs Applicant Group)