In less than two weeks we'll be meeting in Dublin for ICANN 54, during which the Global Domains Division will have its strongest showing yet! We will conduct over 20 sessions on a variety of topics, with the GDD Update and New gTLD Program Reviews at the forefront of discussion along with related topics such as Universal Acceptance.
23 October 2015 will mark the second anniversary of the first delegations under the New gTLD Program and, to date, 760 new gTLDs have been delegated. With the program well underway, ICANN is increasing its focus on facilitating reviews that will help determine how well original program goals are being met and what lessons learned can be incorporated into future rounds. In addition to an overview session where you can learn about the status of all reviews, staff will conduct sessions on specific review topics, such as a discussion on the findings of the Program Implementation review and an examination of data that will inform the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice review.
Following a full-day workshop on Sunday, the Universal Acceptance Steering Group will take the stage Monday to discuss activities underway and help educate members of the domain name industry, developers and other stakeholders on how they can make their systems Universal Acceptance-ready. This is a must-attend session for anyone interested in the success of new generic top-level domains and Internationalized Domain Names.
Other non-GDD sessions of interest to registries, registrars and the general community include a discussion of the role voluntary practices play in combating abuse online, which will be lead by ICANN's Chief Contract Compliance Officer, and a series of non-technical tutorials on how the Internet works, which will be conducted by ICANN staff and community members (more info: Internet Standards Setting, Internet Networking, Domain Name Registry Protocols and Root Server Operations).
Participate in as many sessions as you can at ICANN 54 and get answers to your questions directly from the GDD team. Have a question about a process? Stop by our GDD Information Booth to schedule an appointment with a subject matter expert. Also, read our latest blog post about our new and improved Global Support Center and learn how we can better serve you. You can find all GDD sessions on the Dublin website, including special interest sessions.
We look forward to seeing you all in Dublin. Safe travels!