Under the Affirmation of Commitments (AoC), ICANN will be launching a process to review the extent to which the introduction of gTLDs has promoted Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice (CCT Review). This AoC mandated review also will assess the effectiveness of the application and evaluation processes, as well as the safeguards put in place by ICANN to mitigate issues involved in the introduction or expansion of new gTLDs.
To conduct this review, a Competition, Consumer Trust, and Consumer Choice Review Team will be formed in late 2015. Once formed, the Review Team will independently plan its work and schedule.
The resulting recommendations from the CCT Review Team will be provided to the Board and posted for public comment. The Board will take action within six months of receipt of the recommendations. Note that the recommendations, if accepted, may take different paths (e.g., some could relate to policy issues and could be recommended for going through the policy development process in the GNSO).
Preparations to inform the CCT Review Team's work areas are described below.
Preparations for Review | |
Consumer Survey | Study completed in Q2-2015, with follow-on study 1 year later. Outcomes targeted by Q2-2016. |
Registrant Survey | Study began in Q1-2015, with follow-on study 1 year later. Outcomes targeted by Q4-1015 |
Economic Study | Study began in Q1-2015, with follow-on study 1 year later. Outcomes targeted by Q2-2016. |
Review Team Process | |
Review Team Process | The process of convening a Review Team, as called for in Section 9.3 of the Affirmation of Commitments is projected to begin in Q4-2015. This will enable the availability of baseline metric data for consideration, as well as comparison data as one input to the team's analysis. Additionally, reports on the rights protection and program implementation reviews will be available. Finally, the bulk of TLDs are expected to have been delegated and launched in the marketplace at this time, enabling consideration of a variety of TLD types (for example, IDNs, geographically-oriented TLDs, community- based TLDs, brand-related TLDs) to support more detailed analysis. Based on the timelines of previous Review Team processes, a rough estimate for this process is that the convening of the team occurs across 3-5 months, a draft report is issued within 6-9 months, and a final report is issued within 3-6 months from the draft. The Board vote then must take place within 6 months of when the recommendations are delivered. |
