ICANN’s President and CEO Fadi Chehadé: “No more new gTLD delays”

ICANN’s President and CEO Fadi Chehadé tried to reassure everyone at the CEO Roundtable series that the new gTLD program will continue on the planned timeline.

While the topic of the roundtable was not the new gTLD program, Fadi Chehadé was asked to clarify recent comments he made at the ICANN Registry and Registrar meeting in Amsterdam. This is what he said:

• ICANN remains focused on the new gTLD timeline, and I am confident that we can do so without comprising ICANN’s deep, immovable commitment to the stability of the DNS.
• We do not foresee any delays of the new gTLD program, we are working to assure that none occur, and the entire organization is pressing forward to comply with deadlines.
• We have assembled a team of qualified professionals, experienced in making complex programs fully operational, and they have my full confidence. Staff is working hard and it is important for the community to be aware of the intense demands placed upon them by the schedule.
• We will continue to increase the volume of communications pertaining to operational details of the new gTLD program, addressing both the technical and political risks encountered at various decision points.
• I will also endeavor to explain, to the extent possible, the trade-offs and various considerations being balanced during each implementation milestone of the new gTLD program.