Icann pushes on with generic TLD plans

Icann has expressed hopes that it will soon be able to begin an expansion of the generic top level domain (TLD) system.

Kurt Pritz, senior vice president of stakeholder relations at Icann, told delegates at the Next 2011 conference in San Francisco that the organisation hopes to gain approval for the guidebook on submitting proposals for new generic domains shortly.

The guidebook, which is 80,000 words long, will help companies to craft proposals which have a better chance of being approved by Icann, and avoid controversies created by would-be domains such as .xxx.

"It is kind of like an exam, but the exam is already released," Pritz said of the guidebook. "The application process is not meant to be a road block. It is meant to be a road map."

However, approval of the guidebook is only the first step in the process. Michael Salazar, Icann generic TLD programme director, explained that approval will be followed by a four-month communication period and a 90-day window to file for domains and pay the $185,000 (£115,000) submission fee.

Once applications are received, Icann will hold a one-month 'quiet period' followed by a five-month window of evaluation. In total, the process will take eight months.

Companies that do win approval for new generic TLDs will need to prepare for a long-term commitment, according to industry experts.

Geir Rasmussen, chief executive at Global Name Registry, suggested that firms should look to stockpile funds early in the process.

"You need to raise enough cash because, once you turn on the TLD, there is no turning it off," he said. "If you need to do fundraising again, you will be defocused tremendously."