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First Round of New TLD Applications

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Update

ICANN’s Board has designated two new sponsored top level domains (sTLDs): .JOBS and .TRAVEL. Designation of .MOBI is pending before the Board, and “negotiations” are ongoing between ICANN staff and applicants XXX, .CAT, and .POST. Four other applications are still being considered: .ASIA, .MAIL, .TEL-Pulver, and .TEL-Telnic.

ICANN launched the process for selecting new sTLDs from a pool of ten applications last year. ICANN’s Board designated .JOBS and .TRAVEL as new sTLDs in April. ICANN staff recently concluded negotiations with .MOBI and sent the agreement to designate .MOBI as a new sTLD to the Board for their consideration. “Technical and commercial negotiations” are ongoing between ICANN staff and applicants XXX, .CAT, and .POST. ICANN reports that “discussions continue among ICANN Board and staff” regarding the evaluation of .ASIA, .MAIL, .TEL-Pulver, and .TEL-Telnic.

ALAC Submits Statement on the Proposed sTLD RFP and Suggested Principles for New TLD Processes

Click here to read the statement

On 24 June 2003, ICANN's Board posted, as a draft for public comment,
a "Request for Proposal" (RFP) to solicit applications for a limited number
of new Sponsored Top-Level-Domains (sTLDs). It was issued in response to a
directive to ICANN staff by the ICANN Board of Directors at its meeting in
Amsterdam on 15 December, 2002, following submission by then President
Stuart Lynn of a Plan for Action regarding new TLDs in general. The Plan for
Action itself was in response to a directive from the ICANN Board at its 23
August 2002 meeting.

That Plan for Action proposed that ICANN could proceed with a limited number
(the Plan actually called for three, but community comment encouraged not
staying with a fixed number) of new sponsored TLDs prior to completing a
full evaluation of the Proof of Concept initiated in the Fall of 2000. The
Proof of Concept, following an open solicitation of proposals to establish
new TLDs, eventually led to the establishment of four new unsponsored TLDs
(.info, .biz, .name, and .pro) and three sponsored TLDs (.museum, .aero, and
.coop). The Plan for Action stated and the Board accepted the views
expressed that the unresolved issues inherent in launching new unsponsored
TLDs (uTLDs), prior to the evaluation and a full review of how to proceed in
the future, were too great to support proceeding at this time in soliciting
applications for new uTLDs. Conversely, the Plan for Action stated the view
that there was far less risk in proceeding presently with a limited number
of new sTLDs, as an extension of the original Fall 2002 Proof of Concept.

This RFP follows the Board's preliminary decision (subject to approving the
RFP itself) to proceed with a solicitation for applications for a limited
number of new sTLDs as an extension of the Proof of Concept. However, in a
refinement of the Plan of Action, the Board proposes to limit applications
to those applicants (or their affiliates or successors as subsequently
defined in this RFP) who submitted applications for sponsored TLDs in the
original Fall 2000 round of applications, but were not approved at that
time. This RFP reflects the Board's thinking in that regard, and is
therefore limited in scope of eligible applicants.

ICANN will be initiating a comprehensive study of whether and how to proceed
with additional TLDs at the same time as the creation of new sTLDs is being
considered through this RFP process, and as the evaluation of the original
Proof of Concept is being completed. The outcome of that study may or may
not support the continued growth of additional TLDs and may or may not
continue the concepts of sTLDs and uTLDs. Until this more substantive review
is completed, the Board does not feel it is appropriate to commit to a
substantial expansion of sTLDs. The Board does, however, feel that there
should be an opportunity to allow those who submitted applications for sTLDs
in Fall 2000, but whose applications were not successful, to have an
opportunity to submit updated and revised applications at this time, as an
extension of the original Proof of Concept. For the reasons presented in the
Plan of Action, this opportunity is not being extended to uTLD applicants.
(see Establishment of new sTLDs:
Request for Proposals, Appendix D for additional information).

Comments to forum@alac.icann.org are requested (Comments
submitted will be publicly posted).