*To:* cpwg@icann.org *Subject:* Re: [CPWG] CPWG - Recent ICANN Communication wrt Applicant Support Program (ASP) Dear Michael and fellow CPWG members, Thank you, Michael, for sharing this important communication and for your continued diligence in holding ICANN accountable to its own foundational principles. I have reviewed your letter carefully, and I find your concerns well-grounded on several levels. The use of a Board chair blog post dated 6 April to anchor the twenty-one-day notice requirement — rather than a formal Public Comment proceeding — does appear to be precisely the kind of technical compliance without substantive engagement that undermines community trust in ICANN's processes. Your "shadow docket" framing is apt. Your point about the long-term financial sustainability of ASP Registry Operators resonates strongly. Lowering the barrier to entry is a worthy goal, but without a credible plan for what happens after the initial three-year fee reduction period expires, ICANN risks setting up new community and developing-world operators for failure. The precedent set by .COOP, .MUSEUM, and .AERO deserves genuine consideration here, not selective application. The broader concern about the 2012 auction proceeds — now potentially compounded by a further half-billion dollars from the 2026 round's auctions of last resort — is one the community cannot afford to ignore. The 2018 transfer of $36 million to the Strategic Reserve Fund, still unrepaid, is a troubling precedent for how these community-derived funds may continue to be treated. I fully agree that ICANN86 in Seville offers the Board a credible and sufficient window to conduct proper consultation before acting, and I encourage fellow CPWG members to submit formal comments in support of this call for due process. Best regards, Chubasco “Simple, genuine goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us.” On Tue, Apr 14, 2026 at 4:22 AM mike palage.com via CPWG <cpwg@icann.org> wrote:

Hello All,

Attached please find a communication that I submitted to ICANN last night in connection with the proposed allocation of additional funds from the 2012 auction proceeds to top-off the Applicant Support Program (ASP).

While I support this initiative in line with the GAC and ALAC, I believe the way Tripti and the ICANN Board have proposed to proceed is fundamentally flawed.

I am posting it here because I believe this communication touches on an important policy matter. I will also be cross-posting this to the OFB mailing list, as I believe it is directly related to some of the organizational problems confronting ICANN.

Best regards,

Michael

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