ICANN throws out VI restrictions, issues final draft of applicant guidebook #ICANN #newgtlds

ICANNThe ICANN board on Nov 9 2010, citing a lack of consensus, resolved the last remaining overarching issue holding up the new gTLD process by agreeing to eliminate restrictions on cross-ownership between registries and registrars (aka Vertical Integration), and has now published the Proposed Final New gTLD Applicant Guidebook (PFNAG ?) that describes the process of applying for new generic top-level domains.

Public comment is invited here.

Final approval, or a decision to make final changes, is set for the ICANN meeting in Cartagena on Dec 10 2010. Upon approval a 4 month global communications campaign is planned to make sure everybody on the planet knows and understands the content.