The Post-.COM Internet: Toward Regular and Objective Procedures for Internet Governance

This paper makes the case for using regular and objective procedures to assign new Internet top-level domain names (TLDs) instead of the unscheduled, irregular, discretionary and ad hoc processes and criteria currently used by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Adopting a regularized process is past due: after 5 years of existence, ICANN has yet to define a method for managing TLD additions to the root. Yet, the root of the DNS is an important international resource, and handling applications for new TLDs is one of ICANN’s most significant policy responsibilities. The paper shows that ICANN’s current approach to TLD additions is anti-competitive and fosters rent-seeking, political strife, and the potential if not the reality for corruption. At the least it perpetuates the perception of ICANN as operating with irregular and subjective procedures. This is a disservice both to ICANN and to the broader Internet community. The paper proposes a procedure for adding 40 top-level domains to the Internet domain name system on an annual basis. It puts forward a process for doing so that is predictable in timing and procedure, rule-driven, and economically efficient. Separat