It's technically possible for an alternate DNS root to delegate the standard top-level domains (.com, .org, .net, ccTLDs like .ca and .ly, etc.) to the ICANN-ma

It's technically possible for an alternate DNS root to delegate the standard top-level domains (.com, .org, .net, ccTLDs like .ca and .ly, etc.) to the ICANN-managed DNS roots, while supporting extra TLDs of its own. (Which is what was happening with the .42 TLD a few weeks back.) Of course, you're trusting the people running the alternate root not to mess with the namespace in ways that you don't expect...