Yes, I think grabby makes a good point. Money talks, especially when ICANN is in such deep shit for protecting .com from other lethal new extensions like .shop, .xxx and .web in the last round.
The grandpa of .com, Verisign, is bleeding with investors demanding they ditch the registry business. So better get a solution up quick.
ICANN knows it can't make that decision directly. It will be a political suicide, thus the laundering to the Name Council (whatever that is).
I'd be very surprised if WLS isn't introduced. But then, I have been proven wrong.