18(a) Describe the mission/purpose of your proposed gTLD

Prototypical answer:

18.1.1 Mission and Purpose of .SAFETY
The content of this Answer to Question 18 set forth below which describes the plans for the Applicant’s registry constitutes the “purpose” of the registry as that term is used in Paragraph 1.b. of Specification 9 of the Draft New gTLD Registry Agreement found in Module 5 of the Applicant Guidebook dated January 11, 2012 (the “Purpose”). This .SAFETY gTLD will be brought to market by Safety Registry Services, LLC (“Safety Registryʺ) a wholly owned subsidiary of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (“Grainger”).

The intended mission and purpose of .SAFETY is to serve as a trusted, hierarchical, intuitive namespace for a network of customers, potential customers, corporations, first responders, experts, and other service organizations to interact with peers, and have access to authoritative content, and generally needed and valuable safety information. In furtherance of this goal, Safety Registry aims to publish a Charter and all associated policies, guidelines, and other supporting documentation related to the implementation of the registry consistent with the Purpose, all prior to launch. All second-level domain names registered by Safety Registry on behalf of itself or a parent⁄affiliate will be registered through an ICANN-accredited registrar and will be consistent with the Purpose.

18.1.2 Grainger’s Commitment to Safety
As the largest distributor of safety products in North America, Grainger understands the safety needs of companies and organizations operating facilities safely and helping keep employees safe. Grainger helps them achieve their facility and people-related safety goals by providing products⁄solutions that help to maintain regulatory compliance and reduce the of fines; improve facility safety and reduce accident⁄injury rates; and decrease operating costs such as worker compensation, litigation, and lost productivity. Grainger does this through its 50,000+ safety SKUs in many different safety categories like PPE, First Aid, and Workplace⁄Environmental⁄Public Safety as well as its services capabilities that include safety program management, safety training, customizing of safety products, and managing of safety inventory.

There are a number of Grainger resources that companies and organizations are able to utilize to support their safety efforts such as the online Safety catalog; Strategic Alliances with Safety Product Manufacturers; On the Job Webinar Series; Safety Specialists to answer safety questions; and Quick Tips on key safety topics and issues. Grainger is also a member of some of the leading associations in safety, such as NSC and ASSE, and regularly participates in their tradeshows and conferences.

Grainger has a long history of supporting and serving community organizations through its philanthropy. It has been recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its leadership in partnering with the American Red Cross to recruit and train volunteers from the business community to respond to disasters. Grainger is the national founding sponsor of the Ready When the Time Comes disaster volunteer program in the U.S. and Canada. Graingerʹs strong commitment to community safety is evident in its ongoing service and partnership in emergency preparedness with a spectrum of corporate, not-for-profit, and government organizations.

18.1.3 Potential Business Model
Safety Registry does not intend to apply for a community designation under ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook criteria, however, it is committed to operating .SAFETY with a relatively narrow Charter and focus.

Depending upon the reception of .SAFETY, Safety Registry envisions the creation of a Safety Network that could serve as an independent membership organization. Membership in the Safety Network could be a prerequisite to being eligible to register a .SAFETY domain name. While Grainger intends to commit to the initial funding and launch of .SAFETY, it views this future creation of the Safety Network as an important step in the long-term independence, viability, and credibility of .SAFETY. Through the Safety Network, Safety Registry aims to vet the potential registrant pool to ensure that .SAFETY will be a trusted and authoritative namespace of safety-related information, including guidelines and requirements. As currently planned, all members of the Safety Network will also be bound by the Charter, and will be required to abide by the rules and standards set forth in order to maintain registration rights of a .SAFETY domain. Eligible entities may include, but are not limited to the following:

Manufacturers⁄resellers of safety products (even if they are competitors of Grainger)
Public safety departments
Fire departments
Educational institutions
Hospitals
Non-governmental organizations

18.1.4 Registry Launch Phases
To facilitate the strategic and sustainable development of .SAFET, Safety Registry currently envisions a three-stage rollout:

Stage 1
This initial stage will likely involve Safety Registry reserving ICANN and GAC required reserved domain names along with a limited number of second-level domain names for future registry use. In addition, Safety Registry would register a limited number of generic second-level domain names to develop information portals to begin to seed the registry with relevant content in order to attract traffic.

During this initial phase, Safety Registry, with support from Grainger’s IT personnel, plans to run a number of tests to ensure seamless and more secure access to .SAFETY websites, and interoperability with various software and Web-based applications. The registration and use of these domain names are intended to be within the scope of Section 1B of Specification 9, regarding the maintenance, operation, and purpose of the gTLD.

Stage 2
Once all testing has been successfully completed, select partners meeting the Charter⁄ membership requirements mentioned above will likely be eligible to register .SAFETY domain names. This may include, but is not limited to, government agencies, NGOs, and other service organizations with a dedicated mission and leading presence in the safety industry, such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), The Red Cross, and International Organization for Standardization (ISO), key universities in the safety arena, and other national and international organizations of similar stature.

Depending upon the reception of .SAFETY within the safety community, Safety Registry will begin evaluating the creation of the independent Safety Network discussed above. In undertaking this analysis, Safety Registry endeavors to enlist the support of Grainger and the current registrants within the gTLD.

Stage 3
Based on experiences gained through the first stages of operation and the analysis undertaken in Stage 2, Safety Registry intends to either retain its role as a trustee of the .SAFETY Charter, or it will transition this governance aspect of the registryʹs operation to the Safety Network. Either way, Safety Registry is presently committed to the future expansion of the namespace for the benefit of the safety community. It is currently anticipated that any creation or transition of rights to the Safety Network would not take place until after the third year of operation.

Depending upon the decision following the analysis referenced above, there are a number of potential funding options to ensure the continued secure and stable operation of the .SAFETY registry including, but not limited to: dues from the Safety Network to fund the registry on a cost recovery basis; an additional funding from Grainger, or a combination of both. Notwithstanding any potential expanded use of .SAFETY, Safety Registry currently anticipates implementing a throttle mechanism to ensure that any expansion is controlled and responsible. This mechanism is explained in more detail in the response to Questions 46.

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