Technical problems lead to deadline extension.
ICANN has extended the deadline for apply for a new top level domain until April 20. The deadline was supposed to be today.
The extension was made due to technical problems with the TLD Application System (TAS). Users started reporting problems last night, and ICANN identified “technical issue” with the software.
It’s entirely possible that the technical issue was too many people trying to use the system at once. Apparently new top level domain applicants are like school children; they all wait until the last day to turn in their homework.
But applicants won’t have to spend the weekend submitting their applications. TAS is expected to be offline until Tuesday.
This delay may mean the big “reveal” date for all of the new TLD applications will be pushed off until May.
4-20 is not a good day to expect people in southern California to be getting much done, if you know what I mean.
Andrew, you’re slacking! 🙂 Already covered that yesterday at DomainGang 😛
• ICANN’s request for an upfront fee of $185,000 for top-level domain applications is considered an unfair practice and diminishes the opportunity for entrepreneurs to bring about new ideas and volatility that the system lacks at present. It is astonishing that despite the fact that 90% of computer, IPAD, and mobile phone users use the Internet in one way or another, 80% of those users don’t know what a domain name is, thinking that using Twitter or Facebook is the ultimate goal to be an Internet user. ICANN has done a very poor job of publicizing and educating young and first-time users what a domain name is. It is ironic that while the influencial company that has the resources can protect their interests on the internet through trademark applications. The ones who get hurt are those who cannot spend the money to get those trademarks. It is obvious that the business of domain name use is well suited for the rich and influential, and the rest are left to take care of themselves.