Changes

| keypeople      = [[Jeffrey Smith]], CEO <br> Dr. Steven Locke, CIO

| keypeople      = [[Jeffrey Smith]], CEO <br> Dr. Steven Locke, CIO

}}

}}

'''Commercial Connect''' is a technology company applying for the [[.shop]] new gTLD with [[ICANN]]. Its bid for the .shop TLD is supported by major retail associations and individual retailers like Macy's. The company claimed that there are already 30,000 .shop domain names pre-registered with BestRegistrar.com, which will be officially registered once the TLD becomes operational. Jeffrey Smith is the CEO of the company. <ref>[http://www.dotshop.biz/content/news Company Overview]</ref> In December 2011, US National Retail Federation Foundation Director Richard Last joined Commercial Connect's board of directors.ref>

'''Commercial Connect''' is a technology company applying for the [[.shop]] new gTLD with [[ICANN]]. Its bid for the .shop TLD is supported by major retail associations and individual retailers like Macy's. The company claimed that there are already 30,000 .shop domain names pre-registered with BestRegistrar.com, which will be officially registered once the TLD becomes operational. Jeffrey Smith is the CEO of the company. <ref>[http://www.dotshop.biz/content/news Company Overview]</ref> In December 2011, US National Retail Federation Foundation Director Richard Last joined Commercial Connect's board of directors<ref>[http://domainincite.com/nrf-director-joins-shop-applicant/ NRF director joins .shop applicant]</ref>

[http://domainincite.com/nrf-director-joins-shop-applicant/ NRF director joins .shop applicant]</ref>

Commercial Connect is one of 9 applicants for the [[.shop]] TLD, making it one of the most highly contested TLDs. However, Commercial Connect is one of only two companies that has applied for the TLD as a [[Community TLD|community applicant]], this means that it will only be delegated to Commercial Connect if they are able to prove that their application as broad support from a clearly defined community. The other applicant that has applied through community priority evaluation, [[GMO Registry]], also applied for the string as a non-community [[gTLD]], in what seems to be a back-up plan if community status is denited, Commercial Connect did not do this and only applied as a community applicant - making its path to delegation and implementation more restricted and difficult.<ref>[http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/viewstatus ViewStatus, gTLDresult.ICANN.org]</ref>

Commercial Connect is one of 9 applicants for the [[.shop]] TLD, making it one of the most highly contested TLDs. However, Commercial Connect is one of only two companies that has applied for the TLD as a [[Community TLD|community applicant]], this means that it will only be delegated to Commercial Connect if they are able to prove that their application as broad support from a clearly defined community. The other applicant that has applied through community priority evaluation, [[GMO Registry]], also applied for the string as a non-community [[gTLD]], in what seems to be a back-up plan if community status is denited, Commercial Connect did not do this and only applied as a community applicant - making its path to delegation and implementation more restricted and difficult.<ref>[http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/viewstatus ViewStatus, gTLDresult.ICANN.org]</ref>