ICANN Opens the Door for New Domain Endings

Domains ending in anything from .nyc to .travel may be possible after ICANN modifies its process for approving new names.

If your domain name of choice has been already been soaked up in every ending from .com to .tk, fear not: a new move by the organization responsible for registering domains may soon open up a limitless supply of new endings. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) decided Thursday that it will create new guidelines to streamline the addition of new domains in the coming years.

ICANN announced its decision at the conclusion of a week of meetings held in Paris. Although the plan still needs approval from a board before new domains can begin to crop up, ICANN foresees a slew of specialized new endings, from .travel to .nyc, growing from the new guidelines.

To foot the cost of introducing new domain endings, they will most likely have to be sponsored by the introducing party. The Associated Press speculates that fees could begin around $100,000, cutting the market for “vanity” domain names.  

Although the full approval for a new domain has no set timeline, ICANN hopes to begin accepting applications in the second quarter of 2009.