ICANN invites community input on updated Specification 14 for the 2026 gTLD Registry Agreement
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has opened a Public Comment proceeding on proposed updates to Specification 14 of the 2026 Base Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registry Agreement, seeking feedback on new provisions related to variant TLDs and fee structures following recent Board resolutions.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has launched a Public Comment process on an updated draft of Specification 14 of the 2026 Base Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Registry Agreement. The agreement defines the contractual obligations of registry operators participating in the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round, scheduled to open in April 2026.
The revised Specification 14 incorporates recent decisions by the ICANN Board on Recommendations 7.4 and 7.5 issued under the Phase 1 Final Report of the Internationalized Domain Names Expedited Policy Development Process (IDN EPDP). These recommendations address fee structures and operational rules for managing variant top-level domains.
ICANN is now seeking community input on changes, including:
- updated fee provisions covering fixed fees, transactional fees, and Rights Protection Mechanism (RPM) access fees
- updated rules on registry operation reservations for variant TLDs
- clarification that each registry operator has a single vote for its TLD set in matters related to amendments and waivers
Specification 14 is grounded in previous policy outcomes from both the new gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process and the IDN EPDP, and was included in earlier public consultations on the 2026 Registry Agreement.
The current proceeding focuses specifically on incremental updates since the last consultation. ICANN encourages participation from all community groups, including prospective applicants for the 2026 round.
Public comments are open from December 10, 2025, to January 27, 2026. After the comment period closes, ICANN will prepare a summary and analysis, review all submissions, and work with the Implementation Review Team as needed to determine whether revisions are required before submitting the final proposed Registry Agreement to the ICANN Board.
Supporting documents, including redline and clean versions of Specification 14, are available on the Public Comment web page.
