ICANN Opens Public Comment on Draft Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE)

The ICANN has initiated a public consultation process, inviting feedback on a newly released draft of the Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE). This document is part of the preparation for the upcoming round of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), aiming to clarify how community-based applications will be assessed.

The draft guide outlines the criteria and methodology that evaluators will use when determining whether an application qualifies for community priority. Stakeholders are encouraged to review the document carefully and contribute their perspectives to ensure transparency and fairness in the evaluation process.

Understanding the Purpose of the Draft Guide

The Community Priority Evaluation mechanism plays a critical role in cases where multiple applicants compete for the same string. It provides a structured pathway for applications representing clearly defined communities to receive priority over standard applications.

This draft guide refines how such evaluations will be conducted, offering more detailed explanations of scoring criteria and assessment procedures. By doing so, ICANN seeks to reduce ambiguity and improve consistency across evaluations, which has been a key point of discussion in previous application rounds.

What ICANN Is Seeking from the Community

ICANN is specifically requesting input from a broad range of stakeholders, including applicants, industry experts, and community representatives. The goal is to gather practical insights that can help strengthen the guide before it is finalized.

Feedback is expected to address clarity, completeness, and usability of the evaluation framework. Contributions made during this public comment period will directly influence how the final version of the guide is shaped, ensuring it reflects real-world expectations and operational needs.

Timeline and Next Steps

The public comment period follows the standard ICANN process, allowing sufficient time for review and submission of feedback. After the consultation closes, ICANN will analyze all received comments and incorporate relevant adjustments into the final version of the guide.

This step is part of the broader effort to prepare for the next gTLD application round, ensuring that all evaluation mechanisms, including CPE, are clearly defined and robust before the process begins.