Last Friday, May 20, the ICANN Board and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), held a joint teleconference to discuss remaining differences on the proposed final Applicant Guidebook AG) for the new gTLD program. Two days later they issued a Joint Statement regarding what transpired and how the process will go forward.
The Joint Statement consists of the sort of vague and mutually congratulatory rhetoric that usually follows international diplomatic conclaves – which in a sense this was. While providing no details on what additional matters were resolved on the call, or whether any progress was made at all, reading between the lines two things stand out clearly:
1. No final agreement has been reached between the Board and GAC that would clear the way for Board approval of the AG in Singapore on June 20th.
2. The prospects of Singapore approval have been downgraded from near-certain to only “possible”. The announcement that accompanied release of the proposed final AG on April 15 (http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-15apr11-en.htm) stated, “Keeping with the draft timeline, ICANN plans post a final version of the guidebook by 30 May 2011, in time for consideration of the New gTLD implementation program at an extraordinary meeting of the ICANN Board to be held on Monday, 20 June 2011, at the ICANN meetings in Singapore.” But the May 22nd joint statement has a decidedly less certain tone – “The latest discussion and ICANN Board and GAC agreement on the benefits of having a face-to-face meeting in Singapore pave the way to possible Board consideration of program approval on 20 June 2011.” (Emphasis added)
So, rhetorically, in five weeks we’ve gone from definite Board consideration of program approval on June 20 to only possible consideration on that date. Of course, the Board is scheduled to meet again on Friday, June 24, so it’s still possible that approval could come then after a week of public and back-channel maneuvering. And the face-to-face meeting referred to in the joint statement is rumored to be set for Sunday, June 19th, so theoretically all remaining issues could be resolved sufficiently to allow for Board approval the following day. But we wouldn’t bet on it, especially now that the GAC has learned that the longer this process goes on the more concessions are made by the Board.
The next act in this drama will be the release of a “final version” of the AG, promised by ICANN for May 30th. However, as the May 22nd Joint Statement makes clear, the final version is yet to be written in Singapore – or beyond.
ICA will continue to monitor and participate in this process to the maximum extent feasible with a focus on preventing any further erosion of registrant rights in new gTLDs.
The Joint Statement follows –
http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22may11-en.htm
Joint ICANN Board – GAC Statement: Teleconference on New gTLDs
22 May 2011
The ICANN Board and ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) held another productive meeting to discuss the limited number of remaining issues related to the anticipated launch of the new gTLD program. This teleconference was the latest in a series of proactive, issue-oriented collaborations targeted at addressing GAC concerns to ensure the stable and secure delegation of new top-level domains.
ICANN Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush recognized the members of the Governmental Advisory Committee, “for their energetic and well-intentioned devotion to the work of reviewing and improving the introduction of new generic top-level domains. The discussions have resulted in significant progress, including improvements to trademark and consumer protections, assistance for potential applicants from developing countries, and other areas of the program.” Together, the Board and GAC have reviewed twelve issues, comprised of 80 sub-issues, discussing each in depth. The work has included several days of face-to-face meetings between ICANN’s Board and GAC, meetings that were informed by preparatory papers and conference calls.
“In particular,” Mr. Dengate Thrush noted, “the GAC Indicative Scorecard and the reports in response to Board-GAC discussions were concise, clear and helpful.” Governmental Advisory Committee Chair Heather Dryden said, “the GAC appreciates the time taken by the Board to discuss remaining issues on the call and looks forward to continued progress as a clear signal that the Board is committed to enabling the formulation of true community consensus in developing policy that is in the global public interest as well as increasing the overall accountability and transparency of the organization.”
The latest discussion and ICANN Board and GAC agreement on the benefits of having a face-to-face meeting in Singapore pave the way to possible Board consideration of program approval on 20 June 2011.