[Random-bits] ICANN's New TLD application process is now published

[James Love]

http://www.icann.org/tlds/application-process-03aug00.htm

ICANN's New TLD application process is now published.

Here are a few comments.

1.  One good item is that the $50,000 non-refundable fee can be applied
to several strings, so long as the basic proposal is pretty much the
same for each string.

2.  A bad thing is the $50k fee, particularly the hard line that the
money is basically gone once it is paid, and the clear statement that
few will be chosen, regardless of the merits of proposals.  This is
about 10 times the non-refundable amount for the registrar applications,
and according to some ICANN board members, a fundraising mechanism for
ICANN.  

3.  The ICANN staff has separated the policy and the day to day
management parts of the application somewhat, which I think is a good
thing, and it has made it clear that groups should feel comfortable in
thinking about doing just policy or just managment, depending upon their
strengths, which should be a model less daunting for NGOs, once the $50k
issue is resolved, or in later rounds where one hopes the fees will be
more reasonable.  Several firms have already indicated to me that they
will offer services to groups who want to set policy but who don't want
to run the day to day stuff.

4.  The proposals will not be restricted very much, except for what
looks like difficult bonding or other types of proof of financial or
technical soundness.  My guess is that the ICANN staff will go overboard
on these criteria for the testbed.  

Jamie


-- 
James Love, Consumer Project on Technology
v. 1.202.387.8030, fax 1.202.234.5176
love@cptech.org, http://www.cptech.org