BRS Media calls for independent review of ICANN community TLD outcomes
BRS Media has formally requested an independent evaluation of whether 2012 community-based top-level domains have successfully served their intended audiences.
Tech firm BRS Media has submitted a formal request to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) seeking an independent review of the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) process from the 2012 new gTLD round. The company argues that existing contractual safeguards do not verify whether these domains have successfully fulfilled their purpose.
While ICANN maintains that current contractual obligations remain enforceable after registry transfers, it has acknowledged there is no mechanism to sunset community-based domains that fail to gain meaningful adoption. BRS Media CEO George T. Bundy stated that the focus should shift from whether rules were followed to whether those rules achieved their intended outcomes for the communities involved.
BRS Media is asking for objective measures of community adoption and a framework for potential reviews. The company aims to have these concerns addressed by the ICANN board as the organization moves toward the next round of new gTLD applications.