Coronavirus Raises the Stakes in the .Org Battle

April 20 was originally the deadline by which ICANN, which oversees the internet's address system, would issue its decision on whether to stop or allow the transfer of the dot-org (.org) domain registry to a private equity firm. The proposed deal — which would turn over a part of the internet typically used by nonprofits to a for-profit enterprise, Ethos Capital — has for months raised alarm among charities worried they might see the cost of their sites skyrocket. The decision has been postponed until May, but the debate has taken on added significance during a global crisis that is relying heavily on charities and community organizers for relief.

Rick Cohen, chief operating officer of the National Council of Nonprofits, said,“with so many nonprofits now feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their operations and working tirelessly just to be able to keep their doors open to serve their communities, they can ill afford to have even a dollar diverted unnecessarily from their work to pay down the hundreds of millions of dollars of debt that this transaction will incur.”