[governance] Cigar Box Governance

Thomas Lowenhaupt toml at communisphere.com
Fri Feb 27 19:49:49 EST 2015


While most attention here is on global governance, I thought you might 
be interested in what it's sometimes like at the bottom. Here's a post 
we made today reviewing the first 6 months of the .nyc TLD's operation: 
http://connectingnyc.org. (I've copied it below for the convenience of 
some.)

While I entitled it /Digital.nyc - A Status Report/, with the .nyc TLD's 
operation lacking transparency, accountability, or a governance process 
it might better be called Cigar Box Governance.

Best,

Tom Lowenhaupt


    Digital.nyc – A Status Report
    <http://www.connectingnyc.org/digital-nyc/>

Posted by: Editor <http://www.connectingnyc.org/author/editor/>

<http://www.connectingnyc.org/digital-nyc/half-candle/>Jackson Hts., New 
York, February 24, 2015 – We’re a 1/2 candle into the life of our city’s 
TLD and an appropriate time for an evaluation. But with .nyc’s success 
metrics undefined, an assessment is challenging. Hoping that we might 
contribute to a long term analytical framework, we decided to undertake 
this first review.

Fundamentally, there are two competing perspectives on a TLD’s success, 
the standard and community. The metric used for assessing standard TLDs 
such as .com, .net, and .org is based on the number of names sold. We 
honor that tradition by presenting a statistical review.

For community TLDs, the operational approach we’ve advocated, success 
comprises a positive impact on the delivery of city services, economic 
enhancement, and an improved quality of life. We took a first stroke at 
identifying community metrics on our wiki 
<http://www.coactivate.org/projects/campaign-for.nyc/city-tld-metrics-checklist> 
some time ago. With community enhancements emerging from long term 
development efforts, an assessment at this early stage is challenging. 
What we do here is look at some early actions and how they might 
influence those long term goals.


      Traditional Metrics

Let’s start with some stats on the number of .nyc domain names sold.

  * As of February 22, the city’s contractor reported 72,103 names sold
    with sales at a rate of about 90 registrations per day. (See more
    current stats here <https://ntldstats.com/tld/nyc>.
    <https://ntldstats.com/tld/nyc>)
  * Of those, 74.27% or 52,672 were “parked.” A parked domain is one
    purchased but without any meaningful content (see keys.nyc
    <http://keys.nyc/> for an example). Names purchased for speculative
    purposes might be parked. And with .nyc being a new TLD, many are
    surely parked while under development.
  * That 74% of parked domains has been inching down over the months.
    For comparison .berlin has 73% parked, .london 36%, .paris 48%, and
    .tokyo 55%. (Might we induce a level of speculative purchases from
    these?)
  * Doing some subtraction (72,103 – 52,672) one might conclude that
    19,431 .nyc domain names are providing some level of content. But…
  * A February 21 Google search using the “Site:.nyc” command revealed
    only 458 websites. (Google reported a total of 940 finds, a number
    consisting of both primary names and their duplicates.) We’re
    looking for an explanation for this discrepancy.
  * We looked at the first 100 of those 458 “Site:.nyc” sites and found
    40% used the .nyc domain name to present content. The other 60%
    merely linked to a .com or .org site.

In addition to these 72,103 sold names, 21,000 names have been created 
but not allocated. The unallocated fall into three categories.

  * 800 Reserved Names
    <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZXMFe-C2PU6KIRPbZKfLkk63i2k5u7Uz2wDikqWPeZg/edit?usp=sharing>
    – Names set aside to serve the public’s benefit. Three fourths of
    these names are those of neighborhoods or Business Improvement
    Districts (BIDs), e.g., see 125thstreet.nyc
    <http://125thstreet.nyc>. Included also are some generic and
    category names, e.g., taxi.nyc, tours.nyc, and digital.nyc, about
    which we have more to say below.
  * 3,092 Premium Names
    <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qeEPuuPQ3MxzDtUjNpWZy5milRVISvt-4QqBmHRgENQ/edit?usp=sharing>
    – These names were set aside for distribution through high-bid
    auctions, scheduled to begin in early 2015. We’ve advocated for
    attaching Public Interest Commitments (PICs) to many of these names,
    believing social and economic equity and a stronger TLD will result.
    A recent panel report
    <http://www.connectingnyc.org/report-premium-nyc-domain-names-public-interest-commitments-12-18-2014/>
    detailed these recommendations.
  * 17,000 Collision Names
    <https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YYFOrvpZzwpb-gHHAzxBPhEa7etN6EiHomNASTSgH1A&authuser=0>
    – The “Collision” names were excluded from allocation pending a
    review of their impact on the operation of existing networks.
    Mayor.nyc and our own connecting.nyc are two of the good names stuck
    in this batch. The vast majority of collision names are of little
    consequence, but all are expected to become available in mid 2015.

While we have some statistics to guide our Traditional Metrics 
evaluation, doing so for the Community-TLD perspective is a bit more 
challenging.


      The Community View

Early in 2014 Mayor de Blasio announced that it had reserved nearly 400 
neighborhood names for development by entities representing the public 
interest. And it created a path for their allocation – see 
neighborhoods.nyc <http://neighborhoods.nyc>. We tested the proposed 
allocation process recently by encouraging local civic entities to apply 
for the JacksonHeights.nyc name. We chose Jackson Heights because it 
represented the home team – we’re based there – and it has a young 
entrepreneurial population engaged with tech.

The response was lukewarm at best. Only one organization indicated it 
might take on the site’s development. And that commitment was on an “as 
time allows” basis. Also, no existing organization matched the proposed 
governance standard.

We concluded that if a suitable application was to be filed for 
JacksonHeights.nyc, it would best be submitted by a new entity, one 
having the website as its primary mission. And we concluded that the 
neighborhood names might best be issued to contracted parties, committed 
to the principals set out on neighborhoods.nyc, with periodic reviews to 
establish compliance. A scenario of this sort would require an 
investment for start up and oversight.

The adoption of a resident-focused nexus policy was another positive 
action by de Blasio. Properly administered and enforced nexus can foster 
a range of benefits from civic pride to security and economic 
development. Our review of registrations revealed some questionable 
registrant addresses and we look forward to the initiation of planned 
random audits and for a public reporting of results.

A  key sign of community success will arrive when .nyc names are being 
used to create new civic and business connections. Over the last several 
months we’ve sought to understand who is registering the domain names. 
Are names being registered to make new connections and new markets? Are 
New Yorkers shifting their registrations to .nyc from .com, .net, .org 
and other foreign TLDs? While we await a sophisticated analysis, an 
associate has reviewed the daily log of new registrants. The dominant 
impression is that registrations are largely for generic names, as 
opposed to those of existing businesses. Looked at in concert with the 
high rate of parked names, this might indicate a multitude of 
speculative purchases. But one might see a positive side to this: the 
names of existing businesses are apparently not being squatted upon and 
remain available.


      Community Opportunities

One of the key benefits we foresaw for New Yorkers and visitors alike 
was an intuitive Internet where our everyday language would be our 
guide. Using the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811 
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissioners%27_Plan_of_1811> as 
inspiration, we advanced the model of viewing .nyc as a digital grid 
where ease-of-use and clarity would result from the thoughtful 
allocation of names – bikes.nyc, bakeries.nyc, drugstores.nyc, 
schools.nyc, etc. But the city opted for the speed and simplicity of a 
Land Rush 
<http://www.connectingnyc.org/the-nyc-landrush-auctions-adding-injury-to-insult/> 
distribution process (first-come first-served), which released thousands 
of intuitive names for unknown uses. The results are trickling in.

Today, New Yorkers typing hardwarestores.nyc 
<http://hardwarestores.nyc/> will be presented with the services offered 
by a single locksmith, not an organized presentation of the desired 
stores. They’ll need to sift through Google’s global results to locate 
their local hardware store. The local hardware store will need to pay 
Google if it hopes to be found there. And a job will not be created for 
the local operator of hardwarestores.nyc. It’s a loose-loose-loose 
situation for New York.

But there’s still an opportunity to foster an intuitive .nyc, where 
language holds its traditional meaning. Within the 21,000 unallocated 
Reserved, Premium, and Collision names the city can identify widely 
understood names (words would be a better descriptive) and require 
Public Interest Commitments (see our recommendations 
<http://www.connectingnyc.org/report-premium-nyc-domain-names-public-interest-commitments-12-18-2014/>) 
by the developers of these domain names.

If .nyc is to gain a reputation as a reliable and useful TLD – where 
people are confident that typing a domain name will deliver the desired 
result, names like pizza.nyc and hotels.nyc can’t simply market 
traditional brands. That is, pizza.nyc can’t lead to Pizza Hut and 
hotels.nyc can’t provide the choice of all the city’s Hilton Hotels. 
This will be the likely consequence if a high bid auction determiners 
development rights.

For .nyc to succeed these domain names need to aide residents and 
visitors alike in learning about the history, variety, and depth of our 
pizza and hospitality industries. This can only be achieved via 
contractual Public Interest Commitments.

Additionally, Mayor de Blasio can select a few of the unallocated names 
and provide those on the other side of the digital divide with the 
opportunity to apply their entrepreneurial talents to developing the 
.nyc TLD.


      Concerns

Since 2009, when the city announced its intent to acquire .nyc, there 
have been few meaningful opportunities for public engagement in .nyc’s 
planning and oversight process. Access was virtually nonexistent during 
the Bloomberg years. Initially the de Blasio Administration was more 
receptive to public engagement, indeed, during 2014 a .NYC Community 
Advisory Board met on a monthly basis, with two from our organization 
appointed as members. However, when that Board ceased operating in 
December, public access to the oversight process ceased.

The importance of governance and access was brought to mind recently 
when we received an invitation to attend a Digital.nyc Five Borough Tour 
<http://www.digital.nyc/events/digital-dot-nyc-five-borough-tour-number-bronx>. 
Curious about the event and its genesis we visited the digital.nyc 
website where the sponsors were described:

Digital.NYC is the official online hub of the New York City startup and 
technology ecosystem, bringing together every company, startup, 
investor, event, job, class, blog, video, workspace, accelerator, 
incubator, resource and organization in the five boroughs. It is the 
result of a unique public/private partnership between the office of 
Mayor Bill de Blasio, the New York City Economic Development 
Corporation, IBM, Gust, and over a dozen leading NYC-based technology 
and media companies.

Curious, we reviewed the Reserved Names and found digital.nyc listed. 
Not having been privy to this development while on the Advisory Board, 
we wondered about the process by which they had obtained the domain 
name. With this in mind we recalled a recent conversation predicting 
that fashion.nyc would be developed in a similar manner to digital.nyc. 
Some research revealed fashion.nyc to be on the Premium Names list and 
as having been registered to Neustar, the contractor overseeing .nyc’s 
marketing and operation, last week.

Without transparency and a governance process, people may begin to think 
the city’s TLD is being operated out of cigar box, or worse. And with 
public trust central to its becoming a grid for our digital resources, 
such perceptions can be highly detrimental.

City Hall needs to add transparency and accountability to the operation 
of the .nyc TLD. And it needs a representative and accessible governance 
process that informs the public about how allocation decisions are made, 
for what purpose, and by whom. And we need a process and timetable for 
evaluating these allocations of the public’s resources.

Soap Box: Our view is that a thoughtfully developed TLD provides the 
infrastructure for a secure local Internet. That upon that base one can 
build privacy, identity, and community. And that these will speed 
economic growth and the creation of a more prosperous and livable city.


      A Hollywood Ending

This review turned out to be far longer than we anticipated. Those 
who’ve stuck with it to the end get 7 .nyc treats. Enjoy.

  * Archives.nyc <http://archives.nyc> – This site shows city
    information presented in an esthetically pleasing manner.
    Congratulations to the Municipal Archives.
  * MurdersIn.nyc <http://MurdersIn.nyc> – If we were giving awards this
    one would get the Bagel for creative use of a .nyc domain name.
  * Greenestreet.nyc <http://Greenestreet.nyc> – A wonderful
    presentation of the 400 year history of one small section of a city
    street. But we do have some qualms about ownership of this resource
    as detailed here
    <http://www.connectingnyc.org/of-master-plans-greenstreet-nyc/>.
  * Straphangers.nyc <http://Straphangers.nyc> – We love this
    organization and as one might expect its an early occupant of the
    .nyc domain.
  * Visualizing.nyc
    <http://visualizing.nyc/bus-riding-the-best-kept-secret-of-nyc-transit/>
    – Be patient while this one loads. For map lovers.
  * Mammamia.nyc <http://Mammamia.nyc> – Broadway’s first play to make
    it to the big time.
  * Prty.nyc <http://prty.nyc/sperm-visualizer/> – Dancing like you’ve
    never seen it before.


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