Jeffrey Neuman0:12
Ever since ICANN's inception in 1998, one of its core missions was to foster competition amongst not only domain name registrars but also domain name registries. ICANN has had several rounds of introduction of new gTLDs, and I think in the last 15 or more years since ICANN launched new gTLDs, we've seen an increase in competition and innovation. The GNSO, the Generic Name Supporting Organization, said in 2007 that we should introduce a predictable process for the introduction of new gTLDs on an ongoing basis. The last round of new gTLDs was in 2012, and in accordance with the GNSO's policy in 2007 to keep introducing new gTLDs, this new policy development process is to talk about how we go forward, learning the lessons of the last round, to introduce even more new gTLDs in the future to increase competition and innovation.
So I think there are a number of questions that this PDP is going to address. In fact, if you boil it down, there could be potentially hundreds of issues, but the key issues really all revolve around how should we introduce new gTLDs in the future. Meaning, should we do rounds of new gTLDs, or should the accreditation process for new gTLDs be like the accreditation process for domain name registrars, really first come, first serve on an ongoing basis? In addition, this PDP is important to look at issues around rights protection mechanisms, to look at how we can allow domain registries to reach out to its customers, how we can talk about improving the efficiency of the application process.
ICANN 56 is going to be a unique, first-time experiment of a new format of an ICANN meeting. I think what's great about this new format is that it really focuses on the policy issues of ICANN, and one of those policies is the introduction of new gTLDs, subsequent procedures for new gTLDs. At this meeting in Helsinki, we have really two types of sessions. One is a face-to-face meeting of the working group itself. Of course, community members are invited to attend, but it's really primarily to get to the next stage in the working group's activities, to discuss face to face some of the pressing issues at that time. But in addition to that session, there's going to be a cross-community session later on that week to talk with the rest of the community about the policy development process working group's progress to date, about other issues it may not yet have considered, and about other issues of concern to those other advisory committees and organizations, like the Governmental Advisory Committee, the At-Large Advisory Committee, the Security and Stability Advisory Committee. Really, the entire ICANN community has an interest in the introduction of new top-level domains.
Community members can get involved in a number of different ways. Obviously, showing up to the ICANN meeting in Helsinki is one way to participate, but a lot of our work in the working group and in most working groups at ICANN, we really do online through email lists and through teleconferences, webinars, etc. The working groups are always open to anyone that wants to participate. Even at this late stage, the group is already formed, but new members are always welcome to join. They just have to send an email to the GNSO Secretariat, say 'I want to get involved,' and we'll add you to the list as either an observer member or a regular full participating member to get access to all the email archives and to let the group know what you think about all the issues that are being discussed.
