Revision [1709]
This is an old revision of OpenNICCharter made by BrianKoontz on 2008-07-29 15:44:22.
DRAFT
(Nearly Done)OpenNIC Charter
Purpose
OpenNIC (Open Network Information Center) is a user-owned and user-controlled community service offering a democratic, non-national alternative to traditional top-level domain (TLD) registries. Users of OpenNIC DNS servers, in addition to resolving host names in the legacy US-controlled DNS (administered by ICANN), can also resolve host names in OpenNIC operated namespaces as well as in namespaces with which we have peering agreements. OpenNIC accepts for membership anyone who can use a computer and who chooses to use the services offered by OpenNIC.
- This purpose statement is essentially identical to the original "Welcome to the OpenNIC" page archived at http://www.opennic.unrated.net/index_old.html
Mission
- To offer free/open access to DNS services to everyone by establishing new domain hierarchies external to the existing ICANN_controlled domain infrastructure using current DNS protocols.
- To provide a foundation for further research and experimentation in areas related to DNS and the Internet.
- To promote the benefits of a DNS that provides for global access to services regardless of geographical, political, ideological, or economic constraints.
- To encourage the establishment of non-revenue-generating domain hierarchies in order to ensure continued freedom of access to the Internet.
- Paraphrased from Robin Bandy's "An Immodest DNS Proposal," archived at http://nonish.net/OpenNIC/K5%20An%20Immodest%20DNS%20Proposal.html
Organization
OpenNIC is governed as a democracy. All decisions are made by a democratically-elected administrator and/or through a direct ballot of interested members. All decisions, regardless of how they are made, are appealable to a vote of the general membership.
- Extracted from original organization statement, archived at http://www.opennic.unrated.net/index_old.html
Membership
Membership in OpenNIC is open to every user of the Internet. A member is anyone who uses the services offered by OpenNIC.
Voting
Any changes to OpenNIC will be discussed then voted upon by its members. This includes peering arrangements, new TLDs and policy amendments. The vote process starts by a 7 day discussion on the issue. Then a member of the OpenNIC community will motion a vote. This will then last for a 7 day period, where at the end votes are tallied up and a decision is reached. The voting mechanism is not set forth in stone, and thus not covered by the charter.
