ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

07/17/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/17/2024 10:56

ICANN Board Seeks Input on Applicant Support Program Use of Auction ProceedsTripti Sinha

The ICANN Board requests the community's input on the proposed use of existing auction proceeds to partially fund the Applicant Support Program (ASP) for the New gTLD Program: Next Round.

The Board estimates that funding in the amount of $10 million will be sufficient to provide meaningful support for up to 45 new gTLD applicants. The Board proposes to use auction proceeds from the 2012 New gTLD Round to provide up to half of the required funding (up to $5 million), with the remainder funded through application fees under the New gTLD Program principle of cost recovery. (Note: To the extent that the number of qualified applications for support exceeds 45, the Board has committed to use best efforts to identify additional funding for the program.)

The Board's proposed funding strategy for Next Round applicant support reflects its belief that the use of 2012 round auction proceeds for applicant support is consistent with the goals of the ICANN Grant Program. We are also aware that some members of the community have advocated that Grant Program funding be available to Next Round applicants.

The 2012 Applicant Guidebook specified that "proceeds from auctions will be reserved and earmarked until the uses of funds are determined" and that "[f]unds must be used in a manner that directly supports ICANN's Mission and Core Values." In 2018, the Board committed not to use auction proceeds for day-to-day operations and to engage the ICANN community in determining the purposes for which 2012 round auction proceeds will be dispersed. Accordingly, in June 2022, the Board approved the recommendations of the Cross-Community Working Group on New gTLD Auction Proceeds and directed the ICANN organization to develop a well-governed grant program that is aligned with our mission and based in sound governance practices. The resulting ICANN Grant Program was launched earlier this year, with the first application cycle opening in March.

In keeping with its promise to respect the community's voice on the distribution of auction proceeds, the Board is now asking ICANN's community groups to share their views about this proposed approach to funding the ASP. In order for the Board to finalize the ASP funding plan during its September workshop, the Board requests input, via Board correspondence, by 12 August 2024. We appreciate the community's attention to this topic and look forward to receiving your input.

Authors

Tripti Sinha

ICANN Board Chair
Read biography

Tripti Sinha

ICANN Board Chair

Tripti Sinha is Assistant Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at the University of Maryland (UMD) in the Division of Information Technology. She leads Advanced Cyber Infrastructure and Internet Global Services (ACIGS) and the Mid-Atlantic Crossroads (MAX). She has over three decades of progressive experience in Internet and Cyber-Infrastructure technologies. Her wide-ranging experience includes leadership positions in engineering, operations, finance, governance, advocacy and policy. In her current role, she is the chief executive of the MAX, which operates a high-performance regional research and education (R&E) 100G network for advanced cyber-infrastructure services and research. She is also responsible for UMD's High Performance Computing service and strategy. Tripti is active internationally as the executive and operational head of UMD's global operation of DNS root services. She previously served as Co-Chair of ICANN's Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) from 2015-2018.

In the United States, she is very involved in the Internet2 community on activities related to the US national R&E Internet backbone. She is also Chair of the Board of Directors of The Quilt whose mission is to provide advocacy for research and education networking on the US national agenda. She has served on many other non-profit and private sector technology advisory boards.

Tripti has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and did graduate work in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. She was born in India and lives in the United States. As a child and young adult, she moved back-and-forth between the USA and India which gave her an appreciation for global pluralism. She is proficient in English and Hindi, and has an understanding of Punjabi, Urdu and the ancient Sanskrit language. Tripti has a keen interest in Information and Communication Technology innovation, entrepreneurship, governance and policy, and international affairs. Tripti was nominated to serve on the ICANN Board of Directors by the Nominating Committee in 2018. Her term will expire at the Annual General Meeting 2024.