ICANN opens comment period on GAC’s advice on New gTLD strings

23 April 2013

14 May 2013 – 23:59 UTC

15 May 2013

4 June 2013 – 23:59 UTC

On 11 April 2013, the Governmental Advisory Committee issued its Beijing Communiqué in which it provided advice on New gTLDs. The Board New gTLD Committee, acting on behalf of the full Board, will now consider how to address the GAC Advice. To help inform this process, the Committee has directed staff to solicit comment on how it should address one element of the advice: safeguards applicable to broad categories of New gTLD strings. Accordingly, ICANN seeks public input on how the Board New gTLD Committee should address section IV.1.b and Annex I of the GAC Beijing Communiqué.

The GAC met during the ICANN Beijing Meeting and provided additional advice to the ICANN Board regarding the New gTLD program. Relevant to this public forum is Section IV.1.b of the GAC Beijing Communiqué, which states, “To reinforce existing processes for raising and addressing concerns the GAC is providing safeguard advice to apply to broad categories of strings.” The safeguard advice appears in Annex I of the Beijing Communiqué.

ICANN officially notified applicants of the publication of GAC Advice on April 18, 2013, triggering the 21-day applicant response period per the Applicant Guidebook Module 3.1. The applicants’ responses and the input received in this Public Comment Forum will serve as important inputs to the New gTLD Board Committee’s consideration of the GAC Advice.