ICANN Corporation has released the latest interim results of the Applicant Support Program (ASP). The program targets non-profit, non-governmental organizations, offering substantial discounts of 75–85 percent on new domain application fees, which are currently estimated at $227,000 per application.
According to Domain Incite, the number of applicants for the ASP program has risen to 76 organizations, already far exceeding the ICANN-allocated budget, which provides discounts for only 45 organizations. While the volume of applications can be seen as a success, their geographic distribution remains a concern. Previously, ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) had expressed reservations regarding the program’s trajectory.
One of the objectives of the program is to encourage applications for new domains from regions with limited representation in the global network, primarily Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. However, the number of applicants from these regions remains low. As of August 19, only ten applications were submitted from African countries and just two from Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Since that time, the number of applicants has increased significantly, but the geographic distribution has remained largely unchanged, with only one additional applicant each from Africa and Latin America. Of the 37 applicants who recently created accounts and began completing their applications, 19 have not yet specified their country of origin, though this may be updated in the near future.
