ICANN Announcements

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ICANN Launches Pandemic Internet Access Reimbursement Program Pilot

31 August 2020

LOS ANGELES – 31 August 2020 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the Pandemic Internet Access Program Pilot for ICANN69, following the ICANN Board's resolution in support of the pilot program. To facilitate participation during the remote Public Meeting, the pilot program offers community members who have limited Internet capacity financial assistance to increase their Internet bandwidth during ICANN69.

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 October 2020. 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.

"It is important that we continue to find new, innovative ways of lowering the barriers to participation, so that community members have an opportunity to contribute and have their voices heard," said Maarten Botterman, Chair of the ICANN Board of Directors. "This pilot program is an important step towards that goal."

Interested community members must apply in advance of ICANN69, and those who meet the eligibility requirements will be selected to participate. The application deadline is Friday, 2 October 2020 at 23:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The application is available here.

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.