.college Pre-Register Domain - .college Domain Information

The term "college," traditionally defined as a post-secondary accredited educational institution, in fact, has broad-ranging denotations, extending to such loose constructions as an assembly of persons having a common purpose. With this in mind, .college ("the TLD") opens domain availability to any congregation of individuals seeking appropriate recognition, serving as a completely unrestricted TLD open to the scores of domain registrants seeking to more accurately and descriptively identify themselves. While the barriers to .edu registry have been found to be extremely valuable, serving a vital and necessary purpose, the TLD .college derives its merit from its all-inclusive, open nature, providing recourse to organizations previously denied access to educational or communal identification within the online space.

In addition to limiting registration exclusively to accredited post-secondary educational institutions, .edu domain registration is restricted to one domain name per institution. Due to .edu's barriers to admission, many bona fide accredited secondary institutions have reported difficulties in obtaining domain names. Other accredited post-secondary institutions have conceded to having initially chosen inaccurate domain names, and can no longer rectify the error. These and other such educational institutions that have been previously prohibited from appropriate .edu domains can now lay claim to appropriately identifying domain names with the .college TLD.

With the objective of customizing Internet user experience and reconfiguring the DNS along more intuitive lines, the TLD will provide communal organizations and educational organizations with a wide range of domain names they can use to communicate, self-identify, offer products and services, and build community. Contrary to the stringent restrictions of the .edu registry, the TLD respects all constructions and usages of the term "college," and is committed to providing descriptive domain names to all organizations that seek such identification, from credible, reputable educational organizations previously barred from educational recognition in the online space to religious groups, who are not seeking academic accreditation, but desire to form religious instruction institutions, such as a seminary or yeshiva.

18Bi.
In an era where the availability of high-value industry-relevant names are increasingly diminishing and financially unattainable by the majority of domain registrants, multitudes of respectable communal and educational organizations are relegated to the realm of irrelevant domain names cluttering the online landscape. The TLD will provide simple, industry all-inclusive, memorable domain names for every organization type that seeks such identification. The TLD will serve as a unique, easily recognizable name space that allows registrants to create compelling and enriching domains and sites that communicate a clear association. This perspective complements the current trend of proliferating domain names that are more clearly identifying and self-defining, contributing to more intuitive online navigability. By using the TLD, businesses and organizations can offer services that bespeak its identity to the end-user in a more defined, tailored manner. Its use will include but not be limited to websites, emails, online applications, online transactions, social media, directories and any new usages of domain names. The TLD .college plays well to the growing trend of crowd sourcing--the phenomena that the aggregate knowledge of people is smarter than just one person or just one source. Thus, the TLD's objective is to play on that trend and build a TLD that truly represents the knowledge of masses. Applicant believes in fact that this knowledge will become an invaluable tool for consumers and will create competition and ultimately create better schools.

18Bii
The TLD will provide increased consumer choice opening up a wide array of new industry-ranging domain names, a reduction in the price spent on obtaining domain names (circumventing the exorbitant fees charged for valuable domains in the traditional TLD space), and improved user experience, allowing consumers access to a greater array of business resources and services within each industry.

The .college TLD will be open to all individuals and groups related to educational organizations, such as parents, students, teachers, professors, schools, universities, as well as to communities of individuals joined by a common cause or dedicated to unconventional educational endeavors, such as religious organizations seeking to form instructional groups. Each of these entities deserves the opportunity for identification and recognition in the online space. The TLD .college will constitute an all-inclusive, open TLD where sharing of information is free and uninhibited. The openness of the Internet has allowed the free exchange of information across the globe, and should not now become restricted by limited access to domain names. The .edu TLD serves an important purpose as a well-managed, highly regulated TLD, but there is a lack of identification for regular individuals who want to learn from others and for students and teachers who want to share information in general. .college holds the potential for a communal grounds for students, teachers, parents, and other groups can build sites to share their knowledge—a feat that cannot be accomplished on a .edu today. There exists a genuine need for an exchange and dissemination of educational information by every type of entity that transcends beyond what post-secondary accredited educational institutions can provide. The TLD .college intends to provide that domain.

18Biii
The TLD is committed to providing easy, fast and secure service that allows businesses, organizations and individuals to create and register a broad range of meaningful domain offerings while steadfastly protecting the rights of users. The TLD's short, easily recognizable and memorable nature grants Internet user access to a greater variety of business, community and social entities and their service offerings specifically relevant to individual user needs. With the influx of more and varied competitive entities, domain registrants will be compelled to pursue more innovative offerings and methods of communication, thus enabling a more dynamic and thriving online ecosystem, making possible a broader, more colorful range of potential user experiences. The descriptive nature of the domain will encourage the construction of value-rich and informative websites; its global nature and inclusiveness will facilitate the spread of education or community-themed domains, allowing a previously unreached online public to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the TLD's introduction into the DNS.

18Biv
It is the intention of the Applicant to avidly uphold ICANN's standards of global accessibility and competition, and the continued innovation these qualities promote. The use of validation criteria would run contrary to these standards, which is why the Applicant has no desire to see it implemented.

While validation criteria will not be used, a clear and enforced Acceptable Use Policy will be instituted. This policy will keep the zone protected from illegal content and activity. The UDRP, URS, and all other ICANN-required rights protection mechanisms will comprise an essential part of the TLD's operating policies. Applicant will work in conjunction with all rights protection mechanisms, in compliance with ICANN requirements. Should a domain name be in violation of the Policy, Applicant's adopted AUP will enable it to terminate the registration of said domain. Furthermore, Applicant will encourage the reporting of domain names in violation of the AUP via continued communications and will take violating names down quickly and efficiently.

By utilizing a global outreach initiative, Applicant will promote awareness of the TLD with domain registrants and the public at large. This will promote proper registration and will have a positive effect on the reliability and reputation of the registered domains. The initiative will be adapted in order to increase its effectiveness in multiple cultures and markets, but the primary goal will remain constant: to issue detailed information on the benefits that purchasing a domain can have for all parties.

Applicant will execute all rights protection mechanisms required by ICANN. These include, but are not limited to, the URS and the UDRP. Applicant will also administer a Sunrise period for Trademark holders prior to General Availability in strict adherence to ICANN requirements.

18Bv
Apart from the measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants and users required by ICANN, applicable laws, policies or technical standards, the TLD will not provide any additional special services. Some required registry services include SRS, which protects the confidentiality of the EPP transfer authorization codes, and dissemination of TLD zone files, which protects the confidentiality of zone file FTP accounts credentials.

The TLD, as a registry operator, will provide all registry services in accordance with the ICANN requirements and specifications to the Registry Agreement. Please refer to question 30 for more detailed information regarding the data security measures that will be taken by the Applicant.

By maintaining strict adherence to the security and rights protection mechanisms of ICANN and opening availability of domains to registrants of all types, The TLD has adopted operational policies engineered to promote a more holistically healthier online realm in terms of equitable exposure, comprehensive information, and security. The TLD remains ardently committed to fostering a reliable and trustworthy online space devoid of the abuses of malware or illegal activity. User experience will be enhanced through increased access and exposure to a greater variety of organizations dedicated to the spirit and concept of education, as well as the stringent takedown policies as required by ICANN (URS, UDRP, etc.) and the provision of an easily identifiable, navigable, and usable zone.
The nature of the TLD - by virtue of introducing new and appropriate domain names that were previously unavailable on the primary market - will minimize the financial resources required by organizations to establish their vital Internet presence. Furthermore, this Internet presence will be truly global and free from the constraints of limited domain name availability, limiting, expensive and restrictive ccTLD policies, and linguistic compromise. Additionally, it provides an easily navigable space that improves user comprehension of the nature of the zone and the domains and websites that occupy it, as well as minimizing user confusion as to the type of registrant and website identified with a particular domain.

Ci
Applicant remains dedicated to upholding registration policies that prove both fair and efficient to registrants. In accordance with ICANN requirements, and in order to secure the protection of Trademark holders and benefit potential registrants, Applicant will offer a phased launch. A Landrush or Premium Name availability period will follow subsequent to a Sunrise period, as required by ICANN regulations. During the Landrush period, applicants are able to register their interest for various domain names, and in the case of multiple applications for a particular domain name, the names will be sent to auction. After the Landrush period will commence General Availability, where domain names will be available for all registrants on a first-come/first-serve basis.

Cii. Applicant is considering implementing introductory discounts and/or bulk registration discounts as a potential cost benefit to registrants. Additional marketing programs are being considered, and may potentially be instituted. Such decisions will be made contingent upon further research results and finalized before the date of launch.

Ciii. In accordance with ICANN's Registry Agreement, registrars will be offered the option to obtain initial domain name registrations for periods of one to ten years at the discretion of the registrar. Currently, Applicant does not intend to increase registry fees. If a revision to registry fees becomes necessary, Applicant will provide sufficient advance written notice of any such change, as mandated by the Registry Agreement.

Applicant has considered the relevant provisions of the new TLD Registries Agreement, the GAC Advice ʺGAC Principles Regarding new TLDsʺ and the procedures adopted by other gTLD registries and intends to use the procedure described below with regards to protection of geographic names in .college

Prior to its launch Applicant will compile a list of country and territory names that are subject to reservation on the second level.

Pursuant to the specification provided in ICANNʹs Applicant Guidebook, the list will include country and territory names based on the following internationally recognized lists:
• The short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166-1 list;
• The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World; and
• The list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names;
As the above documents get updated from time to time, the exact list of reserved names will be compiled shortly before the TLD launch to account for any updates. The list of reserved names will be published on the Registry website.

Applicant will comply with any future ICANN policy governing the reservation and/or release of such names.