Sophia Bekele
| Person | |
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| Community | ICANN Community |
| Organization | DotConnectAfrica |
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Sophia Bekele Eshete is an Ethiopian technology entrepreneur and Internet governance participant. She founded CBS International and DotConnectAfrica (DCA),[1][2] and served as a Nominating Committee-appointed member of the GNSO Council from 2005 to 2007.[3] Her Internet governance work has included Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), new generic top-level domains, and the .africa application process.
Background[edit | edit source]
ICANN's 2005 NomCom biography lists an MBA in Management Information Systems from Golden Gate University and a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Systems, and describes her professional background as including information systems auditing, corporate governance, risk management, and technology consulting.[1]
Before her GNSO term, Bekele participated in African information-society initiatives. ICANN's 2005 NomCom biography records that in 2003 she served on the Advisory Interim Steering Committee of the African Regional Network and the Advisory Technical Committee of the African Information Society Initiative under the UN-ICT Taskforce, and that she co-authored the Common Position for Africa's Digital Inclusion.[1] In 2009 she was among the founding board members of the Internet Society's San Francisco Bay Area Chapter.[4]
ICANN participation[edit | edit source]
The 2005 NomCom selected Bekele for a seat on the GNSO Council. Her term began at the conclusion of the 2005 ICANN Annual General Meeting in Vancouver and ended at the conclusion of the 2007 Annual General Meeting.[3] During her term, she participated in the GNSO policy-development process on the introduction of new gTLDs[5] and in September 2007 voted in favor of forwarding its final 20 recommendations to the ICANN Board.[6]
Bekele participated in the GNSO's early policy work concerning IDNs and was a member of the GNSO IDN Working Group.[7] In 2006, she was one of two candidates nominated to chair the group;[8] Ram Mohan won the subsequent electronic ballot.[9] The Working Group's final report lists Bekele as its liaison to the Reserved Names Working Group.[7] Her work in IDNs was congratulated by Yoav Keren[10], David Allen[11], Dr. Subbiah[12], and Tin Wee Tan[13].
.africa application and dispute[edit | edit source]
Bekele led DCA's campaign for a continental .africa top-level domain. The African Union Commission (AUC) initially supported DCA's plan in 2009, but withdrew that endorsement in 2010 and later backed ZA Central Registry (ZACR). In the 2012 New gTLD Program, DCA and ZACR submitted competing applications for .africa.[2]
Following GAC advice that DCA's application should not proceed, DCA initiated an Independent Review Process (IRP) against ICANN in 2013.[14] The IRP panel issued interim measures in May 2014 recommending that ICANN suspend further processing toward delegation of .africa while the proceeding remained unresolved.[15] In an August 2014 procedural declaration, the panel also concluded that its procedural declaration and future declaration on the merits were binding on the parties.[16]
On July 9, 2015, the panel found that actions and inactions of the ICANN Board concerning DCA's application were inconsistent with ICANN's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. It declared DCA the prevailing party and recommended that ICANN resume its evaluation while continuing to withhold delegation.[14] The declaration did not award .africa to DCA.[2] The Board returned the application to the remaining evaluation procedures and reimbursed DCA for the IRP costs specified in the declaration.[15]
At that point DCA had successfully completed the other components of Initial Evaluation; the remaining Geographic Names Panel review found that the application did not provide the required level of government support or non-objection. DCA proceeded to Extended Evaluation but again failed the geographic-support requirement in February 2016, making its application ineligible for further review under the New gTLD Program.[15]
DCA challenged the result in California court, and litigation delayed delegation. In February 2017, a California Superior Court denied DCA's second request for a preliminary injunction, allowing ICANN to proceed,[17] and .africa was delegated to ZACR that month.[18] Litigation continued after delegation. Following a bench trial, the Los Angeles Superior Court entered judgment against DCA on judicial-estoppel grounds; the California Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment in September 2021.[2]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ICANN: Nominating Committee, Biographical Information on the Nominees (2005)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 California Court of Appeal: DotConnectAfrica Trust v. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, 20 September 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 ICANN: Nominating Committee Announces Final Selections for Key Leadership Positions within ICANN, 4 November 2005.
- ↑ ICANN At-Large: San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Internet Society fact sheet, 2011.
- ↑ GNSO: PDP February 2006 Task Force Report, 10 April 2007.
- ↑ GNSO Council Resolutions, 6 September 2007.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 GNSO Internationalized Domain Names Working Group Outcomes Report, 22 March 2007.
- ↑ ICANN Email Archives: GNSO IDN Working Group Chair voting procedure, 9 November 2006.
- ↑ GNSO IDN São Paulo Meeting Minutes, 3 December 2006.
- ↑ Testimony of Sophia Bekele's IDN work at ICANN
- ↑ ::Endorsement of Dotafrica (.africa) Initiative, December 5 2010 by The International Domain Resolution Union
- ↑ Support Statement by Subbiah
- ↑ Dr. Tin Wee Tan, Associate Professor Recommendation
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 ICANN Board: Approved Resolutions, Special Meeting of the ICANN Board, 16 July 2015.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 ICANN: .AFRICA Update.
- ↑ Independent Review Process: Declaration of the Independent Review Panel on the IRP Procedure, 14 August 2014.
- ↑ ICANN Free to Proceed with the Delegation of .AFRICA Following Court Decision, 9 February 2017.
- ↑ IANA: Delegation Record for .AFRICA.