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
.bank	fTLD Registry Services LLC	fsround.org	View

FRS was formed and founded by the American Bankers Association (ABA) and The Financial Services Roundtable (Roundtable) for the explicit purpose of applying for and operating financial services-related gTLDs. The .bank gTLD will be operated by FRS for the benefit of the banking industry and is comprised of the following two organizing members: Founded in 1875, the ABA represents banks of all sizes and charters and is the voice for the U.S. banking industry’s $13 trillion and its 2 million employees. ABA marshals the talent, energy and perspectives of its members to bring about positive change. Through an effective collaboration between ABA members and staff, it combines experience and insights, in-depth expertise, unmatched resources and extensive products and resources to make its members more successful. When banks are strong and healthy, their communities and customers thrive.

ABA is also an active member of the International Banking Federation that was formed in March 2004 to represent the
combined views of a group of national banking associations. The countries represented by the Federation collectively
represent more than 18,000 banks with 275,000 branches, including approximately 700 of the world’s top 1,000 banks
that manage worldwide assets of over $31 trillion.

The first of Roundtableʹs predecessor organizations, the Association of Reserve City Bankers, was formed in 1912. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 led to the 1958 formation of another independent organization, the Association of Registered Bank Holding Companies. The two organizations merged in July 1993, and became The Bankers Roundtable in October 1993. In early 2000, the first members from the securities, investment, and bank sectors joined their banking brethren as founding members of The Financial Services Roundtable. Today, the Roundtable represents 100 of the largest integrated financial services companies providing bank, banking, and investment products and services to the American consumer. Roundtable member companies participate through the Chief Executive Officer and other senior executives nominated by the CEO. Roundtable member companies provide fuel for Americaʹs economic engine, accounting directly for $92.7 trillion in managed assets, $1.2 trillion in revenue, and 2.3 million jobs.

The ABA, Roundtable and a third U.S.-based financial trade association, the Independent Community Bankers of America
(ICBA) represent the banking communityʹs interests in the United States and around the globe. As such, these organizations maintain relationships, both formal and informal, with all sectors of the banking community, through conferences, published research, sound practices projects, and representation in policy matters. The hybrid nature of the ABA, Roundtable, and ICBA banking organizations partnered with other financial institutions perfectly reflects the U.S. banking industry, as explained above in 20(a).

As noted above, FRS has engaged global banking trade associations including, but not limited to, the Australian Bankers’ Association, British Bankers’ Association, Canadian Bankers Association, European Banking Federation, and the International Banking Federation, and plans to maintain close relations with these global partners and two (2) international organizations that may serve on its Board. In this way, the .bank gTLD will serve the needs of the global banking community.

As of April 11, 2012, the following institutions and associations have endorsed FRS’ application for the .bank gTLD:
Australian Bankers’ Association, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA, BB&T Corporation, British Bankers’ Association, City National Bank, Dollar Bank, European Banking Federation, Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, Independent Community Bankers of America, International Banking Federation, Regions Financial Corporation, Sterling Savings Bank, and Woodforest National Bank. Letters of endorsement from these entities can be found in the attachments to this question.

The primary mission and purpose of the .bank gTLD is to provide a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive online global
marketplace for Internet users seeking the services of, or information on, banking industry participants. As such, the .bank gTLD will be reserved for the exclusive use of members of the clearly defined global banking community.

This is not a gTLD designed for widespread registrations. Instead, registrants and registrations will be restricted by guidelines included in 20(e) below. Containing recognized members of a regulated community under one gTLD will provide financial institutions and consumers with a secure way to seek banking information and create innovative products and services.

As the steward of the .bank gTLD, FRS will be accountable to the global banking community. As such FRS will employ
multiple mechanisms to assure its ongoing accountability including, but not limited to:

- Oversight by FRS’ Board of Directors and an Advisory Board. The Board of Directors will consist of representatives from both financial institutions and financial associations. Individual financial institution directors will represent the interests of the community as direct community participants. Financial association directors represent a broad cross-section of the banking community and represent the collective interests of their members.

- The Advisory Board will contain a group of global financial associations and additional financial members whose sole purpose is to represent the community. These committee members will be chosen from well-known organizations and associations within the community.

- The ABA’s and Roundtable’s collective members expressed concern about the protection of financial gTLDs, led the
formation of FRS to protect the global banking community, its institutions and, most importantly, the consumers of banking services. Both ABA and the Roundtable will continue their involvement in significant ways including, but not limited to, acting as Operating Managers of FRS.

- Since the community is a highly regulated community, indirect input will be provided by key regulatory agencies throughout the globe. Close relationships will be maintained with the regulatory oversight organizations associated with the community, thus providing additional accountability to the community.

In addition to the oversight and leadership noted above, FRS is accountable to the community for ensuring that applicants for .bank second-level domains are thoroughly vetted and agree to adhere to a strict set of operating rules and security standards that govern the licensing and operation of a .bank second-level domain. This vetting process, coupled with regularly scheduled reviews to ensure compliance with the FRS operating rules, is the mechanism whereby accountability is established. Collectively, this broad body of key community leadership will continually assess the policies, processes and operations of .bank and assure that it continues to operate in the best interest of the global banking community.