The second Finance Working Group of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) has concluded its work. Irina Danelia, Deputy Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and Deputy Chair of the Strategic and Operational Planning Committee (SOPC), took part in its activities. At the final meeting, the group presented its report analyzing the current model of financial interaction between country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registries and ICANN, as well as options for its improvement. The report was approved by the ccNSO Council on August 21.
The working group, established last December, carried out a comprehensive review of ICANN’s expenses related to supporting ccTLD participation in ICANN processes and events. Extensive consultations with national domain registries were held during ICANN82 and ICANN83, and a survey was conducted to assess the registries’ views on the existing financial model.
The findings confirmed that the current model, adopted in 2013, remains the most adequate and efficient. Its key principles are the voluntary nature of contributions by ccTLD registries and the correlation of contributions with the number of domains under management. These principles were supported by a majority of registries during consultations and the survey, with 86 percent confirming that they contribute funds to ICANN’s budget.
The working group recommended retaining the overall model while introducing several refinements. The 2013 scheme divided ccTLDs into 7 groups (A–G) based on the number of registered domains, with voluntary contributions ranging from $225,000 (Group A, over 5 million domains) to $500 (Group G, under 50,000 domains). The new proposal maintains the same contribution levels but increases the number of groups to 10, making the structure more differentiated. Previously, Group F included ccTLDs with 50,000–250,000 registrations while those with a less amount made up Group G. Under new regulations, the former will now include ccTLDs with 150,000–300,000 registrations, with new groups added: Group G (75,000–150,000 registrations); Group H (30,000–75,000); Group I (10,000–30,000); and Group J (0–10,000).
Each group has a recommended contribution size assigned to it. Previously, all domains with fewer than 50,000 registrations were classified in a single Group G with a $500 contribution. Now, it will range between $500 (Group J) and $5,000 (Group G). In addition, the group proposes revising upward the registration thresholds for Groups C, D, E, and F. According to the Working Group, these changes would make the model fairer and help offset the impact of inflation.
