Possible Fresh TLD Application Date: August 2011

Application window for fresh TLDs could be pushed back to August.

ICANN’s board set back the process for fresh top level domain names the prior week by agreeing to meet with the Governmental Advisory Committee in February to hash out their differences. How long will the delay be?

Kevin Murphy discovered some recently disclosed ICANN staff documents that were used to estimate the previous application starting period of May 2011.

Based on the assumptions in the staff documents, it looks like the earliest date for applications will now be August.

Part of the plan for fresh top level domain names is a four month communications plan. That communication plan must include information on when applications for fresh TLDs will be accepted. This, as stated by ICANN staff, means the applicant guidebook must be approved prior to launching the communications plan:

As stated in earlier papers, the communications campaign ought to not be launched until the Guidebook is approved. The public question to be answered at the outset of any campaign will be: “What is the date?” Since we cannot answer this with certainty until the Guidebook is approved as final, the communications campaign ought to not be launched until the Board approval is made.

In other words, you need to add at least four months following the guidebook is approved ahead of starting the application window. It’s possible that ICANN and GAC could settle on items at its February meeting and then the board could quickly approve the guidebook. But given some of the radical changes in the last guidebook, don’t be surprised to see another comment period somewhere in the process.

In other words, more delays.