The Campaign for the .nyc TLD Creating an Internet Space for New York City By Thomas Lowenhaupt
Nov 01, 2014
The Campaign for the .nyc TLD
Creating an Internet Space for New York City
By Thomas Lowenhaupt
What’s a TLD?
Familiar Top Level DomainsFamiliar Top Level Domains
www.amazon.comwww.nyu.eduwww.nyc.gov.net, .biz, .us, .info
What’s a TLD?
Why Top Level?
What’s a TLD?
Why Top Level?
What’s a TLD?
Why Top Level?
What’s a TLD?
Why Top Level? Top =
Second =
Third=
How many TLDs are there?
• Generic ( .com, .org …) 17
• Country Codes (.us. .uk …) 243
What’s a TLD?
What’s a TLD?
Second Level Numbers
• .com - 72,000,000• .org – 6,000,000• .us – 1,000,000• .gov – 32,000• .edu – 2,500
What’s a TLD?
Every Country Has a TLD
.us
.uk
.fr
.tv
What’s a TLD?
Tuvalu via Google Earth
Tuvalu has a TLD.
New York City doesn’t!
What’s a TLD?
To the Internet, there is no New York City !
What’s a TLD?
Why .nyc?
Background
Background
…civic lesson…
Background
NYC is tiny
1/10th of 1% of the world’s population
****
400 square miles***
59 Community Boards democracy’s ladder
Background
Step 4 U.S. Congress
Step 3 N.Y.S. Legislature
Step 2 City Council
Step 1 Community Boards
democracy’s ladder
Background
Compare the Media of Two Communities
Terra Haute, Indiana Community District 3 (NYC)
Population 105,000 200,000
Television Stations 2 0
Daily Newspapers 1 0
Radio Stations 8 0
Background
Compare the Media of Two Communities
Conclusion:
Local communication is deficient, inadequate, ineffective, insufficient, lacking, laughable, scarce, too little, too late…
Background
…end civic lesson…
A solution…
Background
Internet Empowerment Resolution
• Passed by Queens Community Board 3
• April 19, 2001
• It said: Get the .nyc TLD
Good Domain Names
•Short
•Descriptive
•Memorable
Why .nyc?
Why .nyc?
• Improve Civic Communication
• Domain names for youth and immigrant population
.com - 72,000,000
No good names.
Why .nyc?
.com - 72,000,000
Why .nyc?
.com - 72,000,000
Ning !!!
Why .nyc?
Good Names for:• Small Businesses• Community Groups• Civic Affairs• Not for Profits • Individuals • Issues
Why .nyc?
Identity
•Made in New York
•From New York City
Why .nyc?
So things.
you find
can
you find
So things.
Why .nyc?
New York City 1800
Thinking ahead, city leaders established a Commission
to plan for the future.
They created:
New York City 1800
The Commissioners Plan of 1811
The Commissioners Plan of 1811
Why can you see the
sun?
Hint:
The Commissioners Plan of 1811
Created the Manhattan Street Grid
The Commissioners Plan of 1811
The grid organized
and made accessible
New York City’s
real estate resources to great civic and financial gain.
Why .nyc?
.nyc will organize
and make accessible
New York City’s
digital resources.
So things.
you find
can
you find
So things.
Why .nyc?
The city has 402 hotels
Google “NYC hotels”you get between
2,000,000 - 90,000,000 hits
Why .nyc?
The city has 2,400 schools
Google “NYC schools”you get between
2,000,000 - 174,000,000 hits
Why .nyc?
The city has 120 hospitalsGoogle “NYC hospitals”
- a vital resource - you get between
1,000,000 - 144,000,000 hits
Why .nyc?
So you can find things. Directories - www.hotels.nyc A More Intuitive Internet
IBM.com – yes RikeysCafe.nyc - YES
Why .nyc?
Why .nyc?
Proximity
Why .nyc?
Networking
Why .nyc?
Proximity ~ Networking
…the historic role of the city…
Why city-TLDs?
Proximity ~ Networking
Ideas
Opinions
Feelings
Passions
Products
Services
Proximity ~ Networking
…here’s my networking
map of New York City…
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
…people of all shades, shapes, and sizes interacting
in different ways...
( Note: The “map” is actually artist Jackson Pollack’s Image #7 )
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
This is the way we organized ourselves for about 400 years
…then about 1995…
Proximity ~ Networking
…we were globalized…
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
The fabric of
traditional civic
communication
was torn.
Proximity ~ Networking
• Monetized junk ~ ebay.com
• His Holiness ~ pope.va
Proximity ~ Networking
…long term impact…
Proximity ~ Networking
Model A to Moses
Model A to Moses
…the role of the .nyc TLD…
to re-connect the city
Proximity ~ Networking
…the role of the .nyc TLD…
to re-establish its historic role
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
Proximity ~ Networking
Traditional TLDs
All TLD provide
• Good Domain Names
• Directory of Resources
• Identity
• More Intuitive Internet ~ City
…not just a Traditional TLD…
Focus on connecting the 1/10 of 1% of the world’s population that is New York City.
Public Interest TLD
Public Interest TLD
• Equitable Distribution of Domain Names
• Reasonable Price for Domain Names
• Name Set-Asides for Civic, Community, and Issue Usage
• City Nexus for a More Secure Experience
• Local Control
• Open & Transparent Governance
• Shrink Digital Divide ~ Education-Training
…a status report…
Who & How
Who & How
• April 19, 2001 CB 3 passed
• Internet Empowerment Resolution
• Get .nyc
Who & How
until
9/11
Who & How
• 2001 - honky dory
• 2002 - 9/11
• 2003 - 2012 Olympic Focus
• 2004 - TLD window closed
• 2005 - .berlin asks “You in .nyc?”
• 2006 - knock, knock, no one’s home
The Path Ahead
April 2007 we created
Connecting.nyc Inc. not-for-profit
acquire & develop the .nyc TLD
How Do You Get a TLD?
…it’s complex…
How Do You Get a TLD?
…it’s complex…
The Formal Approval Process
…on paper…
The Formal Approval Process
• U.S. Department of Commerce
• National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA)
• Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
The Formal Approval Process
ICANN
• California not-for profit
• 15 Board Members
• From around the world
Timetable
• Connecting.nyc Inc. – April 2007
• ICANN Draft RFP – Feb. 2008
• Respond to RFP – December 2008
• ICANN OK – March 2009
• Sunrise Period – May 2009• Open to Public – July 2009
Steps to Success
• Good Plan
• Local Support
• Responsive Application to ICANN RFP
Governance• ICANN lessons - 10 years
• Local history – 400 years
• Local needs – 8,000,000
What We Need
Steps to Success
• Good plan/governance
Old three step plan
Steps to Success
• Good plan/governance
Value proposition:
nexus, 1/10 1%, trust, integrity, community…
Platform and Path
Civic Applications
• Location Based Services
• GIS / Virtual City
• Issue Discovery
• Decision Making
• Collaborative Projects
Civic Applications
The Civics Project
Civic Applications
Civic Applications
The Civics Project
•Civic Spaces (names)
•Civic Tools
•Civic Education
A place on the Internet where the world can find
our resources.
Civic Applications
A place on the Internet for the city’s residents
and organizations tofind one another.
Civic Applications
Easy things -
names…directory…identity
Hard things -
trust…security…community
Summing up
>>>> .nyc is coming <<<<
Either we run it orwe live with the consequence
of the Zuckerbergs and Murdocks monetizing our
every keystroke.
Summing up
Presents our role: combining the traditional grid and the web.
Our Logo
Networking & Privacy• As we perfect one
• We loose the other
Summing up
Networking & Privacy
e.g. See http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=40.732665&lon=-73.997684&z=17&l=0&m=a&v=2&show=/6073978/
Summing up