New gTLD Program’s Credibility Questioned Amid Weak Global Uptake

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New gTLD Program’s Credibility Questioned Amid Weak Global Uptake

By CircleID Reporter
August 20, 2025, 7:56 am PDT Views: 23,105 Add Comment

The credibility of ICANN’s much-vaunted programme to expand internet domains is under strain. Governments and user representatives have warned that the Applicant Support Program (ASP)—a scheme offering fee discounts to poorer or non-profit applicants for new top-level domains (gTLDs)—is failing to reach its intended beneficiaries.

Geographic imbalance: In a joint letter to ICANN’s board on August 15th, the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) expressed “deep concern” over what they called the ASP’s “current trajectory”. With three months left before the application window closes on November 19th, ICANN’s own data show fewer than 20 qualified applications, far below the projected 40-45. Worse, the submissions are skewed: a third come from North America, while Latin America and Africa account for just 3% and 10% respectively.

Diversity risk: Such imbalances are argued to undermine the programme’s core purpose—diversifying participation beyond well-funded incumbents in developed markets. Nicolas Caballero, GAC chair, warned that without swift action the scheme risks “perpetuating the dominance of well-resourced entities”, cutting against ICANN’s multistakeholder ideals.

Application barriers: The GAC and ALAC have urged ICANN to investigate the shortfall by August 22nd, probing whether the obstacles lie in poor outreach, excessive red tape, or prohibitive costs. They recommend stronger regional engagement, simplified procedures, and greater transparency over abandonment rates.

ICANN has so far approved only three ASP applicants, two from Asia-Pacific and one from Europe—an outcome hardly matching the ambition of global inclusivity. Time is running short. Unless corrective measures are enacted before the November deadline, the next round of gTLDs could reinforce the very inequalities it was meant to redress.

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By CircleID Reporter — CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.
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