[AfrICANN-discuss] FW: ICANN Board Plans Consultation with Government Representatives on NewgTLDs and .XXX Top-Level Domain

Sat Dec 11 08:40:59 SAST 2010

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2010

ICANN Board Plans Consultation with Government Representatives on New Generic Top-Level Domains and .XXX Top-Level Domain

Cartagena, Colombia… ICANN’s Board of Directors plans an extended meeting with its Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) to resolve the remaining concerns of the committee’s members over ICANN’s plans to expand the current number of 21 generic top-level domains (gTLDs), such as .com, .net and .gov.

The GAC is made up of representatives of more than 100 governments and is intended to give governments from around the world a voice in ICANN’s multi-stakeholder, bottom up model of policy formation.

“The GAC has made clear to the Board that it has concerns about some issues needing resolution before the launch of new gTLDs,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN’s Chair of the Board. “So we have set up a consultation in February where Directors and GAC members can engage face-to-face. We hope this will help expedite the resolution of these outstanding issues.”

Dengate Thrush said it is imperative that the launch of new gTLDs be handled cautiously and thoughtfully, and that all voices are heard and considered. For this reason, prior to launching the new gTLD program, ICANN will, in addition to consulting with the GAC:

•  Take into account public comment on the final draft of the Applicant Guidebook, the economic analyses, and the final written proposals regarding issues affecting morality and public order, and make revisions to the guidebook as appropriate;

•  Provide a thorough and reasoned explanation of ICANN decisions, the rationale thereof and the sources of data and information on which ICANN relied.

“We would rather do it right than do it fast,” Dengate Thrush said.

ICANN’s Board also said it wants to consult with the GAC on ICM Registry’s controversial application for approval of a .xxx top-level domain. ICM Registry has stated that the domain could be used by those who produce online adult entertainment content.

“The Cartagena meeting produced a lot of good hard work by the ICANN community, board and staff,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Progress in this field takes time, and we have work left to do.”

The Board re-elected Peter Dengate Thrush as Chair of the Board. Steve Crocker was elected Vice Chair.

The Board also selected Amman, Jordan, as the location for the 19-24 June 2011 ICANN Public Meeting. The next Meeting is to be held in San Francisco, California USA, March 13-18.

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ICANN Director of Global Media Affairs
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brad.white at icann.org<mailto:brad.white at icann.org>

Andrew Robertson
Edelman Public Relations
Tel. + 44 (7811) 341 945
andrew.Robertson at edelman.com<mailto:andrew.Robertson at edelman.com>

About ICANN: ICANN’s mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org/>.

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