Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development

Type:	Non Profit Organization
Industry:	Internet
Founded:	2011
Headquarters:	2 Marshala Zhukova Prospekt, 123308 Moscow
Country:	Russia
Email:	info[at]faitid.org
Website:	en.faitid.org
Facebook:	FAITID
Twitter:	@FAITID
Key People
Dmitry Burkov, Chairman Nikolay Molibog, President

The Foundation for Assistance for Internet Technologies and Infrastructure Development (FAITID) is non-profit organization responsible for implementing initiatives aimed to increase Internet use in Russian communities and around the world. The organization was established in 2011. Dmitry Burkov serves as Chairman of the FAITID Board.

New gTLD Applications

FAITID submitted its application for the .moscow and .москва (Russian translation for Moscow) geographical TLDs on April 12, 2012. The organization submitted its applications for the TLDs in Latin and Cyrillic scripts. The applications were prepared through the collaboration with Sedari, a TLD consulting, management and technology firm, and the Internet Systems Consortium, which provided technical assistance. According to FAITID, the standard price for domain names registered under the .moscow and .москва strings will be around 600 Roubles (20$).

Background of the .moscow (.москва) Project

In 2010, the RU-CENTER, a leading Russian Domain Name Registrar, initiated the .moscow (.москва) project. The RU-CENTER proposed the project to different government agencies in Moscow, and suggested the creation of a special community council to administer it.

Following the RU-CENTER's proposal, the Moskovskiy Komsomolets, one of the leading newspapers in Russia, launched a survey about the project on its website to poll public opinion. The survey ran from September 2 until October 1, 2010. Thousands of citizens responded and supported the project. The Moscow Department of Culture and Moscow Department of Support and Development of Small and Middle Entrepreneurship (DSDSME) also supported the project and expressed their willingness to participate in creating a Community Council to handle the application for the TLDs with ICANN. FAITID was established and took over the responsibility to manage the .moscow/москва project.

Since the inception of the .moscow (.москва) project, it has been presented at different international Internet conferences and symposiums, and notably during ICANN meetings. It was introduced during the 2010 RIPE NCC Moscow Regional Meeting.

.volga TLD Project

The organization is also planning to apply for the .volga geographical TLD during the second round of ICANN's new gTLD expansion program. The .volga TLD will represent the lower and middle territories located in the great Russian river Volga and to help boost the businesses and internet technology developments in the area. There is no timeline for a second round of TLDs, but ICANN has assured stakeholders that it intends to hold one.

The WebHiTech

Apart from developing TLDs, the organization also supports and promotes the development of standards in web programming to improve the accessibility and usability of websites through its WebHiTech program. Different activities, including workshops, forums and contests are held for web developers in the community to facilitate continuous interaction and to find the most technologically advanced websites.

The Russian Cultural Linguistic Internet Domains (RUCLID) Project

The RUCLID Project is dedicated to implementing TLDs and web spaces that represent promote Russian culture and languages.