- ICANN will host webinars to discuss the FY26–30 operating plan and budget draft, inviting community feedback
- The webinars provide an opportunity for stakeholders to shape the future of global internet governance
What happened: ICANN hosts webinars for global input
ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is organizing a series of webinars to discuss its draft operating plan and budget for fiscal years 2026–2030. The webinars will help attendees better understand these draft plans and offer an opportunity to ask questions. They will also provide a short overview of the Draft Internet Assigned Numbers Authority and Public Technical Identifiers FY26 Operating Plans and Budgets. The webinars are intended to prepare the community to participate in the Public Comment proceedings for the plans, which will open on 17 December 2024 and close on 14 February 2025. These sessions will be held online, allowing a broad range of participants from various regions and sectors to engage in discussions.
The Draft Five-Year (FY26–30) Operating and Financial Plan articulates the nature and timing of activities and milestones needed to achieve the objectives and goals set forth in the Draft ICANN Strategic Plan for FY26–30. The Draft Annual (FY26) Operating Plan and Budget describes ICANN’s planned activities in FY26 and the anticipated funding and expenses levels.
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What it’s important
ICANN’s decision to host webinars on its FY26–30 operating plan and budget signals an effort to increase transparency and engage a broader set of stakeholders in global internet governance. While this is a positive move in principle, its real value will depend on how effectively ICANN listens to and integrates feedback from a wide range of participants. Larger companies like Google or Amazon, with their significant resources and lobbying power, will likely have a much stronger influence on shaping ICANN’s strategy than smaller, less resourced players.
Take, for example, Namecheap, a relatively small but influential domain registrar. As a company that offers affordable domain registration services to small businesses and individual users, Namecheap relies heavily on decisions made by ICANN regarding domain name policies and pricing. Although Namecheap has a vested interest in ICANN’s budget and strategic priorities, its ability to influence these decisions is limited compared to larger companies with dedicated teams to monitor and participate in ICANN’s processes. Smaller companies like Namecheap may struggle to fully participate in webinars, either due to resource constraints or the sheer complexity of ICANN’s processes, even though their customers are directly impacted by ICANN’s decisions.
