TLD1 LLC Applies for Four New Top-Level Domains in ICANN’s 2026 Round
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C., August 14, 2026 - TLD1 LLC announced today that it has applied to ICANN for four new generic top-level domains: .bewell, .etc, .joinus, and .whatsnew. The applications were filed in ICANN's New gTLD Program 2026 Round, the first opportunity to own and operate a new internet extension since 2012.
TLD1 LLC was founded by John Alagna, a serial entrepreneur who has built and sold companies across the retail, web services, and insurance industries. His most recent exit was Carolina Heritage Insurance, a Hilton Head Island brokerage he grew into one of the leading independent brokerages on the East Coast before selling it in 2024 to Relation Insurance Services, a top-25 national brokerage.
"The internet has about six billion users, but fewer than 200 million of them actually create, publish, or sell online," said Alagna. "That gap is going to close, and every new creator will need an address they own. We applied for names that are positive, useful, and open to everyone."
The company's four strings were chosen to be generic, positive, and useful to wide audiences. Each will operate as an open TLD, available to all registrants through ICANN-accredited registrars, with accessible first-year pricing and active DNS abuse prevention.
TLD1's registry operations will run on proven infrastructure. The company has contracted it.com Domains, one of the first ICANN-evaluated registry service providers, as its back-end registry operator, with DNS and DNSSEC services from Netnod, operator of one of the internet's root name servers, data escrow with DENIC Services, and abuse monitoring by iQ Global.
Joe Alagna, a 25-year domain industry veteran and co-author of How to Get Your Own Top-Level Domain, serves as advisor to TLD1. "I worked with dozens of successful applicants in the 2012 round," he said. "The plan here is the one that works: good strings, proven infrastructure, and honest pricing. I'm excited that my brother became interested in new gTLDs and that he chose it.com for his Registry Services Provider. He's great to work with."
The applications now enter ICANN's evaluation process. Following evaluation and delegation, TLD1's domains are expected to become available to the public through accredited registrars.
About TLD1 LLC
TLD1 LLC is a South Carolina limited liability company based in Hilton Head Island, founded to own and operate new top-level domains for the long term. Learn more at tld1.llc.
Media contact
info@tld1.llc