Fresh York: Deciding Between Domain Names and Trash Service

City points out an obvious reason why it may not want its own top level domain name.

In comments (pdf) to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Fresh York City Senior Counsel Katherine Winningham states application fees for fresh top level domain names are too high:

“Based on the current economic situation and its impact on governmental entities, [Fresh York City] again wishes to voice its concern that the application, operational, and dispute resolution fees for the fresh gTLD program will be beyond the means of governments who are by now hard pressed during a time of acute budget deficits to provide for core governmental services and functions. The City urges ICANN to adopt evaluation and operational fee models that will encourage a broad base of fresh gTLDs that serve the broader public interest.”

For a city facing budget deficits of billions of dollars, you must wonder why it is so keen on pursuing the .nyc top level domain name. Apparently it thinks it will make money with the domain name.

My advice would be to sit out this round (assuming it happens in the next 12-18 months) and go for it the next time around.