In what is fast becoming a tedious soap opera, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers once again put off a decision on the dot-xxx sponsored Top-Level Domain (sTLD) at its monthly board meeting Wednesday.
The final decision on the controversial sTLD was first tabled at ICANN’s Aug. 16 board meeting. Then it was tabled again during the Sept. 15 meeting.
Despite being listed on the agenda of the non-profit’s Oct. 12 meeting, the group, apparently, just “didn’t get around” to it.
“ICANN had a full agenda and didn’t get around to dot-xxx at this meeting,” said Stuart Lawley, president of ICM Registry, the Jupiter, Fla.-based company looking to oversee the sTLD.
Although repetitive, the lack of a decision is hardly surprising. ICANN – the international body that governs the domain name system – has been at the center of a political maelstrom in recent months.
ICANN and the U.S. Department of Commerce, which contracts with the non-profit to govern the DNS, have been the target of increased United Nations angst. The contract expires next year. Several vocal, developing countries argue that an international authority, rather than one created by the U.S. government, should control the Internet.
On top of dodging international arrows, ICANN has taken the brunt of a calculated domestic attack by social conservatives, whose anti-dot-xxx letter-writing campaign to the U.S. Department of Commerce resulted in assistant secretary Michael Gallagher sending a letter to ICANN asking the organization to put a hold on approving the sTLD.
Some good news for the pro-dot-xxx forces finally came on Sept. 30, when Center for Democracy & Technology staff counsel John Morris sent a letter to Gallagher essentially telling him to butt out. “Despite legitimate concerns about dot-xxx, we urge you to maintain that posture and to allow the ICANN process to continue to function unfettered,” Morris’ letter read.
The problem is, the process is already terribly fettered.
“I think our application is the least of ICANN’s worries right now,” ICM Registry founder Jason Hendeles told AVNOnline.com.
Although dot-xxx is currently in a holding pattern, ICM is making strides to complete the final approval process by addressing ICANN board members’ concerns. Paramount among those concerns are the possibility that a company within the adult industry might be able to purchase ICM, therefore effectively taking over the dot-xxx sTLD, and that ICM might change the definition of the dot-xxx sTLD if its revenue goals are not met.
Hendeles said the finalized agreement will contain assurances that neither of those things will happen.
“The recommendations for wording were put forward, and we’re hoping to get some feedback shortly,” Hendeles said. “Information is passed back and forth, you come to an arrangement, and that’s the way it works. In our experience, ICANN isn’t known to make sudden and rash decisions.”
Several ICANN spokespeople did not return requests for comment.
ICANN’s next board meeting will take place Nov. 8.
