LOS ANGELES – 13 January 2021 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the continuation of the Pandemic Internet Access Program for ICANN70. This program was first piloted for ICANN69 with the support of ICANN's Board in their resolution from August 2020.
How to Apply
Interested community members must apply in advance of ICANN70, and those who meet the eligibility requirements will be selected to participate. The application deadline is Friday, 5 March 2021 at 23:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The application process will open 8 February 2021 and program details are available here.
Background
The goal of this program is to facilitate participation in ICANN Public Meetings during this global pandemic. It offers community members who have limited Internet capacity financial assistance to increase their Internet bandwidth.
In the pilot program for ICANN69, 24 recipients met the eligibility requirements and received reimbursement. A detailed reporting of the information can be found here.
ICANN is continuing and enhancing this program for ICANN70. Leaders from three Supporting Organizations, four Advisory Committees, four Stakeholder Groups and five Constituencies from the Generic Names Supporting Organization, and five Regional At-Large Organizations from the At-Large community all will have the opportunity to nominate a limited number of recipients to the program, focusing on members who are actively engaged in the ICANN community but may not have previously been eligible to apply.
Reimbursement amounts of up to USD 60 will be provided to eligible applicants who purchase additional Internet bandwidth (capacity or data limits) for the duration of the month or billing cycle for March 2021. The services must be rendered by a business entity or Internet service provider, specifically for Internet or cellular data service. The provider must also provide digital or paper documentation of the upgrade costs.
For more information on the program, including eligibility requirements, click here. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is also available here.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.