A little over 10 years ago, the New gTLD Program launched, with more than 1,000 new generic top-level domains delegated. Now the public is getting ready for the launch of the second round of the program – and it looks like this is not far off. At last week's ICANN76 Community Forum in Mexico, the ICANN Board adopted a series of recommendations made in the context of what is known in the ICANN community as the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process. The approval of these recommendations, some of which require further discussion, marks “the start of the implementation process for the next round of new gTLDs.”
The Board also directed ICANN to deliver a comprehensive implementation plan, including a work plan, information for the infrastructure design, timelines, and anticipated resource requirements to achieve the necessary work to open the next round of gTLDs no later than August 1, 2023. The organization can spend up to $9 million to fund the implementation work through October 31, 2023.
The Board also recommended that ICANN promote the New gTLD Program to prospective applicants, particularly those in underserved and underrepresented regions.
Detailed progress reports will be posted at least two weeks prior to each ICANN Public Meeting, starting with the ICANN77 Policy Forum on June 12-15 in Washington, DC, until the opening of the next application round.
