As the internet becomes more integral to economic development, cultural diplomacy, and public governance, there may be strategic value in having custom generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Active participants in the global Internet Governance space, Lance Hinds and Carlton Samuels, are back to discuss ICANN’s New gTLD Program: Next Round, which is currently open. The conversation covered, among other things:  the difference between country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) and gTLDs; the current state of use of ccTLDs in the Caribbean region; the New gTLD Program and the benefits that could be realised; and the challenges to Caribbean countries and organisations to apply for new custom gTLDs.

 

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In the expanding digital landscape, a web domain is more than just an address. It is a brand, a cultural identity, and a gateway to global commerce. As the internet becomes increasingly saturated, developing market economies, in particular, have a valuable but often underutilised opportunity: owning and managing their own generic top-level domain (gTLD). While much of the internet is dominated by common extensions like .com, .org, or country codes like .in or .ng, custom gTLDs (like .africa or .shop) offer unique potential, especially for emerging markets looking to build digital sovereignty, drive innovation, and boost economic visibility.

When considered through this lens, the New gTLD Program: Next Round, an Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) initiative, is welcomed. The topic was first discussed on the Podcast in November 2024 (episode 238) with Albert Daniels, ICANN’s Senior Manager for Stakeholder Engagement for the Caribbean. However, we thought it prudent to revisit and delve more deeply into the topic, especially since no Caribbean/Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country submitted a gTLD application during the previous round in 2012.

 

Introducing our guests

Lance Hinds

Lance Hinds is the Chief Executive Officer of the BrainStreet Group in Guyana, an IT solutions company that offers a complete range of management information and business system consulting services to governments and the private sector. He is also the Creator and Chief Technical Officer of BrainCentral, an online academic environment that helps students prepare for examinations with over 150,000 questions generating hundreds of online quizzes and practice workbooks. He has over twenty-five years of experience in the provision of professional services for the design, development and implementation of ICT solutions.

Lance is a longstanding and active participant in the global Internet Governance space. He is the former country representative on the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Government Advisory Committee (GAC). Currently, he is the incoming Chair of the Latin American and Caribbean Regional At-Large Organisation (LACRALO) at ICANN.

Carlton Samuels

Carlton Samuels is an International Consultant and heads Carlton Samuels and Associates, which specialises in areas such as technology in business strategy, ICT policy development, business process re-engineering and ICT in education. He was the Chief Information Officer and University Director of IT at The University of the West Indies (UWI). He is also an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies, the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the UWI in Jamaica.

Carlton has an extensive portfolio of volunteer work in the areas of ICT4D, Internet Governance and Technology in Education. He is a member of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) of ICANN, a foundation member and the inaugural Secretary for the Latin America and Caribbean Regional At-Large Advisory Organization (LACRALO) of ICANN and an Advisory Board member for the Microsoft Partners in Learning initiative. He is a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Information Systems (ACNIS) in Jamaica, a member of ICT4D Jamaica and the Board Committee for ICT Governance for both HEART/NTA and the Scientific Research Council (SRC). Carlton has also been a member of the CARICOM ICT Task Force, a regional ICT leadership position charged with developing a cohesive ICT/Digital policy framework for Caribbean governments.

 

Insights into our conversation

Noting some of the benefits that could be realised from having a custom gTLD and the fact that no CARICOM country has applied – even in this new round (at the time of writing) – through the conversation with Lance and Carlton, it became evident that the ‘devil is in the details’. There are also matters related to the value Caribbean organisations and countries place on branding, as well as the extent to which an attractive (enough) business case can be made to justify the required investment.

Having said this, an important takeaway from this discussion is that Caribbean countries and stakeholders must be vested in the domain name business. Depending on the country, it can be difficult for citizens and local businesses to secure country code top-level domains, such as .jm, .ag, .lc, and.bs, which in turn exacerbates the reliance on popular gTLDs, such as .com and .org. As a result, it could be argued that as individual countries and a region, we do not have much skin in the domain game – although TLDs are a critical foundation for how the internet is organised, navigated, and trusted.

Below are key questions posed to Lance and Carlton during our conversation.

  1. When you were last together, we were discussing ccTLDs. What are ccTLDs versus gTLDs?
  2. What is the current state of use of ccTLDs in the Caribbean region?
  3. Please provide some context about the New gTLD Program. 
  4. Why launch an application process for new gTLDs when the original set (.com, .org, .net, etc) tends to be the most widely used?
  5. How could the region benefit from being part of this New gTLD Program?
  6. Are there any other Internet Governance issues that we, in the region, ought to be giving greater attention to?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

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Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that either were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise, might be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  L Hinds;  C Samuels;  Freepik;  Christoph Scholz (flickr); Freepik

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez