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Monday, 15 June 2026

ICANN Community Digest

Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program

2026 Round Applicant Guidebook

2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline

The ICANN organization Policy Development Support function publishes this twice-weekly digest

to help ICANN community groups track requests and follow updates.

Do you have any ideas for improving the ICANN Community Digest?

Write to us at policyinfo@icann.org!

Table of Contents

Information Sharing

NEW: ICANN Announces US$ 1 Million Contribution to Support the Internet Governance Forum
NEW: ICANN Ombuds Office Releases FY25 Annual Report
NEW: gTLD Integrations with Alternative Naming Systems Technical Study Group Underway
NEW: Universal Acceptance Policy Brief Marks Next Step in ICANN-UNESCO Collaboration

2026 Round

NEW: ICANN Introduces Payment Testing for 2026 Round Applicants
ICANN Opens Second Application Period for the 2026 Round RSP Evaluation Program
ICANN 2026 Round Application System User Guide, Support Model Available

🚨 Action Items 🚨

ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

Public Comment

ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW: Additional Reference Label Generation Rules and Related Updates

Events

These events occur in June 2026.

Information Sharing

NEW: ICANN Announces US$ 1 Million Contribution to Support the Internet Governance Forum

The one-time contribution will support the work of the IGF Secretariat, including efforts to strengthen administrative stability, facilitate impactful global conversations, further capacity development, and engage developing country governments.

NEW: ICANN Ombuds Office Releases FY25 Annual Report

The value of the Ombuds Office extends beyond handling complaints and spotting problems; it also has a role to play in surfacing community wisdom to identify solutions and improvements.

NEW: gTLD Integrations with Alternative Naming Systems Technical Study Group Underway

The new TSG is intentionally small to facilitate an expeditious, yet rigorous and thorough evaluation. TSG members will participate in weekly meetings, as well as two multi-day workshops, in order to deliver a report that is going to be published for Public Comment by mid-August.

NEW: Universal Acceptance Policy Brief Marks Next Step in ICANN-UNESCO Collaboration

We hope this policy brief will serve as a useful resource for stakeholders, especially the public sector, working to build a more inclusive Internet and encourage further engagement with UA implementation efforts around the world.

2026 Round

NEW: ICANN Introduces Payment Testing for 2026 Round Applicants

Payment transfers take varying amounts of time, depending on the applicant's bank and geographic location. Because of this, applicants are encouraged to test their payment method to ensure a smooth payment process in advance of submitting their application.

ICANN Opens Second Application Period for the 2026 Round RSP Evaluation Program

The second application period for the RSP Evaluation Program runs from 30 April to 12 August 2026.

ICANN 2026 Round Application System User Guide, Support Model Available

ICANN has made several resources available to help prospective applicants familiarize themselves with ICANN's TLD Application Management System (TAMS). This online system will be used by all applicants, evaluation panelists, and ICANN staff to submit, manage, and process new gTLD applications.

These resources are available to help prospective applicants prepare for the application completion and submission process through TAMS:

System user guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Demo videos

Q&A webinar recordings

Action Items

ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

ICANNWiki is seeking volunteers to assist with creating and editing articles and content for the site. Do you want to help? Getting started is as simple as requesting an account. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!

Public Comment

ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW: Additional Reference Label Generation Rules and Related Updates

Submissions Opening Date: Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Submissions Closing Date: Tuesday, 23 June 2026

See upcoming proceedings.

See other public consultations.

Events

These events occur in June 2026.

To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar.

ADNDRC Practice Development Workshop 2026
North America Space: Finding Your Path in ICANN: From First Steps to Community Leadership
IT Law Training Program - Hacettepe University
NOG-FI Meeting

Volume 8, Issue 40 | Archive | Next Issue: Thursday, 18 June 2026

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