Applicant Guidebook
FAG stands for Final Applicant Guidebook, an ICANN guidebook describing the entire process of applying for new gTLDs.[1] The fifth version and latest version of the Guidebook was released in 2010 in order to get input on the Proposed Final Applicant Guidebook.[2]
ICANN kept a four-month timeline for conducting a communications campaign to ensure that people who wanted to participate in the new gTLD process could get a fair idea when ICANN planned to start accepting applications for new gTLDs. It gave a chance for participants to comment either on a module or on the entire FAG, depending on the area of interest of the participant.[2]
Contents of the latest FAG
The latest version of the FAG consists of some new points in each of its Module except the Module 4. Some of these changes are as follows:
Module 1:
- Based on a recent Board decision of ICANN, the restrictions imposed on Registrar cross-ownership were eliminated
- It contains some additional information on delegation rates, application batch and dependencies for root scaling, than the earlier version
- The background screening criteria has been limited to businesses, cybersquatting and criminal background.
- It also includes an added placeholder for outcomes on Applicant Support Working Group. [1]
Module 2:
- It also consists of updates in the string requirements section, which deal with the use of numbers in the TLDs
- It contains a list of the UNESCO as a reference for region/continent names. [1]
Module 3:
- It has incorporated the Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) in the Legal Rights Objection
- It contains many recommendations from the Working group which deals with the morality and public order objection. [1]
Module 4:
As mentioned earlier, there are no significant changes in this module
Module 5:
This includes the role of the ICANN Board in the process of implementing the new gTLD process. [1] The Board has got the right to consider an application for a new gTLD individually under exceptional circumstances that whether the approval would do well to the Internet community.[3]
References