ICANN To Reopen Top-Level Domain Registration On 22 May

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will re-open the generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) registration on 22 May, for eight days only.

The extended registration is meant to compensate for the delay in processing caused by a technical problem in April.

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Last year, ICANN, the Internet regulator, had approved radical changes to the domain name system, allowing the use of almost any string of characters and numbers as a TLD. This made possible the addition of an indefinite number of TLDs to the current list of 22. The cost of applying for a unique domain name stands at “modest” $185,000 (£115,000).

The registration period for “dot-anything domains” was originally scheduled to run until 12 April. It was first extended until 20 April because of a glitch that allowed some users of the application system to see other applicants’ file names and user names. However, ICANN failed to fix the issue in time, and promised another extension in the future.

Following the incident, ICANN was also offering a refund to anyone who wanted their application withdrawn.

According to its latest statement, ICANN is aiming to reopen the TDL Application System at 19:00 on 22 May. When the organisation took the system offline on 12 April, just over twelve hours remained in the application window. Now, it will keep the system open for eight full days to allow users to review their applications and complete any remaining activities. ICANN expect to finally close the process on midnight, 30 May.

In the wake of the TLD registration, ICANN’s Conflict-Of-Interest policy was criticised by businesses and international bodies including the United Nations, as its leadership is largely composed of people who work within the domain-name industry.

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