Reglikedomain industry desk

ENom and Tucows to ICANN: Hurry Up and Introduce Fresh TLDs

Individuals and entities push ICANN to move forward with fresh top level domain names.

Many organizations that seek to benefit from the introduction of fresh top level domain names — counting eNom, Network Solutions, Tucows, and Minds + Machines — have sent a letter (pdf) to ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom asking him to implement the plan for fresh TLDs “without further delay”.

The letter suggests that “special interests” are trying to slow down or stop the introduction of fresh top level domain names. It also states that no further notes or studies regarding the need for fresh TLDs are necessary:

Instead of commissioning yet more studies to prove the obvious demand for fresh toplevel domains, ICANN’s Board of Directors ought to instead believe the evidence of the market, heed their own staff notes, and read the conclusions of the many studies by now conducted – and approve the introduction of fresh top-level domains without further delay.

The authors point out a number of examples of cases in which consumers and industry leaders didn’t think there was a need for innovation or a different type of product.

The letter is signed dozens of people, counting:

Antony Van Couvering – CEO, Minds + Machines (USA)
Paul Stahura – CEO, eNom (USA)
Jonathon Nevett, Senior Vice President, Network Solutions (USA)
Elliot Noss – CEO Tucows (CANADA)
Rob Hall – CEO, Momentous (CANADA)
Marcus Faure, Chair of the Executive Committe, CORE Internet Council of Registrars
Dirk Krischenowski, CEO, dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
Bhavin Turakhia, CEO, DirectI (INDIA)
Michele Neylon, CEO, Blacknight (IRELAND)
Ben Crawford, CEO, CentralNIC (UK)
Minor Childers, Founder, Dot Eco LLC (USA)
Emiliano Pasqualetti, CEO DomainsBot (ITALY)
Fred Krueger, CEO, Top Level Domain Holdings (UK)
Bill Mushkin, CEO, Name.com (USA)
Oscar Robles Garay, Director, NIC Mexico (MEXICO)
Dr. Liz Williams, Fresh Top Level Domain Strategist (UK)
Neal Marshad, CEO, Marshad Technology Group (USA)
Richard Lau, Owner, DomainManager.com (CANADA)

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