[lac-discuss-en] Fwd: Subsequent New gTLD Program Activities under Consideration – Initial Work Plan Published

[Carlton Samuels]

I might have missed the clamour for additions to the namespace...

  [image: ICANN] <http://www.icann.org/> News Alert

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2014-09-22-en
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Subsequent New gTLD Program Activities under Consideration – Initial Work
Plan Published

22 September 2014

ICANN today published a draft Work Plan to describe the set of community
reviews and activities underway and planned to support consideration of an
additional application process for the next round of generic top-level
domain (gTLD) names under the New gTLD Program.

Download the Draft Work Plan
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/reviews-assessments-draft-work-plan-22sep14-en.pdf>
[PDF, 397 KB]

The New gTLD Program is enabling the largest-ever expansion of the domain
name system. It is designed to enable increased opportunity, diversity, and
innovation at the top level of the Domain Name System (DNS).

"We are very pleased with the initial results of the current round of
gTLDs, the first of which was delegated into the Internet in October 2013,"
said Akram Atallah, president of ICANN's Global Domain's Division. "In the
past several months there has been an increasing level of interest in the
timing of the next application process. While we have been focusing our
resources on ensuring the current round of gTLDs are ushered safely into
the Internet, we are now at a point where we can kick-off discussions
regarding a subsequent round."

Based on current estimates, a subsequent application round is not expected
to launch until 2016 at the earliest.

The gTLD Applicant Guidebook <http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/agb>
provided that ICANN's goal is to launch subsequent gTLD application rounds
as quickly as possible, noting that the exact timing would be based on
experiences gained and changes required after the completion of the first
round.

As of 22 September, 515 applicants have signed registry agreements with
ICANN; 395 new gTLDs have been delegated under the program; 312 TLDs have
submitted TLD Startup Information to ICANN for publication. Initial
Evaluation has been completed for all applications, with a small number
undergoing re-evaluation due to application change requests initiated by
the applicants. The remaining objection processes and contention resolution
processes are proceeding according to schedule. Program statistics are
updated weekly and may be viewed here.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/statistics> With these
operations proceeding in a stable manner, ICANN is now allocating resources
to preparations for subsequent rounds.

Guided by ICANN's stated goal of opening a new application round in a
timely manner, the activities described in the Work Plan are intended to
ensure that the next application round can take place with the added
benefits of experience gained in the first round. The Work Plan is intended
to enable ICANN to support and facilitate the reviews and discussions to
occur through the multi-stakeholder process on the future of the Program.

A session is planned at the upcoming ICANN public meeting in Los Angeles to
present and discuss the plan.
About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet.
To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into
your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so
computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique
identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have
one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit
public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world
dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It
promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique
identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop
spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its
coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an
important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more
information please visit: www.icann.org.