Sunday, January 11. 2009
ICANN looks set to continue on its recent theme of communicating intensely on the new gTLD program. It has just released some figures on the comments received following the publication of the Draft Applicant Guidebook (DAG).
The news item is here so I won't repeat what it says. But it does make interesting reading and I recommend it to anyone who has been following the new gTLD program.
And after reading ICANN's DAG update, some people may, like me, try to read between the lines. What's this really saying about the weeks and months to come for the new gTLD program? My two cents:
First off, ICANN VP Paul Levins being quoted as saying there is no doubt that ICANN needs "to address (…) legitimate concerns before proceeding to open the application process" may be read by some as implying that the program may be delayed. But I'm not so sure.
These past few months, ICANN has looked keen to keep the program on schedule. It's certainly under pressure to do so from members of its own community. Just last week, during our first meeting of the year, the GNSO Council approved a resolution asking for just that. "Best efforts will be made to ensure that the second Draft Applicant Guidebook is posted for public comment at least 14 days before the first international meeting of 2009, to be held in Mexico from March 1 to March 6," reads part of the approved motion which also requests that the communication period – the 4 months set aside by ICANN to ensure that as many people around the world know about the program and which it has been suggested might delay proceedings – be started promptly, namely at the same time as the second DAG is published for comment.
From the discussions we had among the Council members before this meeting, it was clear that there are still many people who feel ICANN is moving too fast on the new gTLD program. But those discussions also provided useful reminders that there are just as many who feel that new gTLDs have already been too long coming and that any further delay would be hard to stomach.
Going forward, ICANN's job will be to ensure that, while it sticks to the GNSO recommendations which gave rise to the new gTLD program in the first place, it doesn't rub major players such as governments or large corporations the wrong way and risk increased resistance levels to its new gTLD program as a result.
Doing so will no doubt mean changing the proposed fee structure. Something which I've already hinted at and which this latest ICANN release seems to confirm.
Whatever changes it decides to make to the DAG for its second version, ICANN is clearly committed to listening to the comments it has received instead of repeating the mistakes of the past: forging ahead with new initiatives regardless of community input, or not sufficiently explaining itself.
ICANN is faced with a tough balancing act here. But so far, it seems to be doing exactly what it should to ensure it garners support for its gTLD initiative. This latest press release confirms that it plans to continue being more open and communicative than it has ever been before. That's good news for all of us Internet users.
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