Author Archives: Nick Wood
News, insight and opinions
from Com Laude experts.
ICANN springs batching surprise
Astonishment. Shock. Disbelief. It’s probably fair to say that ICANN’s chosen method for creating batches of new gTLD applications announced last week evoked some of these emotions for people close to the programme. Read more ›
New gTLD customer service centre feels the strain
Anyone interested in applying for a new gTLD may have come into contact with ICANN’s Customer Service Portal. Launched last November, it is the only way of submitting a query to ICANN staff on the new gTLD programme. We have sent many questions through the portal for our clients, some seeking clarification on the fine detail of the application process others on substantial points. Unfortunately we have been so underwhelmed by the experience that we would be hard pressed to award more than 3/10 to ICANN for its efforts. Read more ›
How do you protect registrants from the failure of a new gTLD registry?
Here in Dakar, delegates at ICANN 42 have been wrestling with this question. But, over four years and six editions of the Applicant Guidebook, ICANN has already developed an answer. The idea is for every new registry applicant to estimate the costs of “critical registry functions”, defined as: the maintenance of DNS resolution, a shared registry system, Whois, data escrow and maintaining a DNSSEC signed zone. Read more ›
How far should ICANN go in supporting the growth of the internet in developing economies?
Here in Dakar at the 42nd ICANN meeting (which I think is the 28th meeting that I have attended), I ponder this question as my air-conditioned coach sweeps past a refuse dump where small Senegalese children, a herd of goats and several mangy dogs scavenge. There is a proposal on the table for the ICANN board to reduce the fees for new gTLD applicants from developing economies from $185,000 to $47,000. Read more ›