Universal Acceptance Steering Group
Background
Universal Acceptance is a foundational requirement for a truly multilingual Internet, one in which users around the world can navigate entirely in local languages. It is also the key to unlocking the potential of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) to foster competition, consumer choice and innovation in the domain name industry. To achieve Universal Acceptance, Internet applications and systems must treat all TLDs in a consistent manner, including new gTLDs and internationalized TLDs. Specifically, they must accept, validate, store, process and display all domain names.
The Universal Acceptance Steering Group is a community-based team working to share this vision for the Internet of the future with those who construct this space: coders. The group’s primary objective is to help software developers and website owners understand how to update their systems to keep pace with an evolving domain name system (DNS).
The Work
The Universal Acceptance Steering Group is seeking proposals for the preparation and production of a White Paper on Universal Acceptance.
We expect to use this White Paper to:
- Raise awareness of the issue of Universal Acceptance
- Show the value of early pursuit of Universal Acceptance
- Value is based in Financial (new markets, revenue), Economic (serving communities) and cultural (empowering nations)
- Encourage people to start adjusting their systems to take advantage of the changed domain name landscape.
Relevance (or Why Bother)
The increase in variety of top level domains provides competition, consumer choice and innovation. It also serves a diverse range of language groups.
But, if application software or application development tools or operating environments (operating systems, browsers, email platforms) do not support the new names, the market will be unfairly restricted and the objectives of competition, choice and innovation won’t be achieved. Language communities that use characters outside the English script will be disadvantaged.
Audience
Aimed at Influencers and Instigators of UA mitigation efforts. Board Chairs, CEOs, Ministers, CIO, CMOs, Public Figures, Thought Leaders. Large, commonly used software providers – both generic and industry specific. Most popular websites operators – globally, regionally, locally, linguistic communities.
Expected Outcomes
We expect the White Paper to:
- Stimulate decision makers to make the investments to get their systems UA Ready
- The report will be used a ‘door opener’ to gain access to Ministers, Senior Government. Officials and inhabitants of the C* Suites.
Thoughts on a UA White Paper
The UASG is seeking help in producing a White Paper on the advantages of making the
effort to get systems UA Ready.
- Identifies the communities unserved (unconnected) and the community underserved – connected but not Latin script cognizant.
- Includes numbers and dollars (how big are the Chinese, Russian, Indian, etc. economies?) Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid opportunities?
- Includes content looking at the cultural value of serving citizens in their native scripts.
- Provides brief history of IDNs and new TLDs – including the purpose – competition, consumer choice, innovation and serving local communities.
- Provides growth figures for IDN ccTLDs and new gTLDs. Also IDN’s at 2nd level.
- Case studies of why people have chosen a new gTLD and/or IDN ccTLD and how they are
being used profitably. Also, case studies of how a lack of Universal Acceptance has stifled use of new gTLD and/or IDN ccTLDs - Identify extent of solution – Not impossible, but effortful, but achievable if embedded in normal maintenance.
- Leverage the Greasing the Wheel figures and other existing research. Leverage ICANN consumer survey statistics, the EUrid and UNESCO report on IDNs and the ISOC Blue Book.
- As an aside, identify what statistics we would like to have but don’t. We don’t expect new research to be undertaken.
- Byproduct is data based talking points.
Characteristics of the contractor
We are looking for a contractor with the following characteristics
- Known for quality work globally
- Experience in economic and cultural analysis work
- Experience in reaching our target audiences
- Fluent in English. Ability to produce the report in other languages, particularly non-Latin scripts, beneficial.
Characteristics of the Report
We quite like these related reports (though we are not expecting anything like this in size or scope)
- https://www.eurid.eu/files/publ/IDNWorldReport2015_interactive.pdf
- https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/bcg-internet-economy-27jan14-en.pdf
- http://www.internetsociety.org/globalinternetreport/assets/download/IS_web.pdf
24 pages
Case studies
Next Steps
Please provide us with:
- A brief statement of interest and why you want to do this work and why we should want you to do this work.
- A CV
- A sample of similar activity
- A rate (in US$) inclusive of all costs.
- Full contact details
- Two refereees
Deadline for receipt of expressions of interest: 23:00 UTC 28 April 2016
Send completed expressions to: don.hollander@icann.org
If you have any questions, please send those to don.hollander@icann.org.
Please allow 24 hours for answers.
We expect to reach out to a short list of candidates within one week of the closing time.
