The Government Advisory Committee seems to be set to increase its role in ICANN’s decision-making. A joint working group comprising members of the ICANN board and the GAC has come up with proposals aimed at improving their interaction.
The key point in the proposals provides for changes to the ICANN bylaws, governing consideration of the GAC recommendations. While previously the GAC initiatives could be rejected by a simple majority of votes at the ICANN board, the new procedure requires at least a two-thirds majority vote for a decision to be made.
Apparently, the proposed changes have already been agreed upon. As a result, the GAC initiatives will have the same weight as the recommendations of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), which also require a two-thirds majority vote to be rejected.
Unlike the GNSO, however, the GAC lacks detailed industry awareness, which has often resulted in ICANN board members being baffled by GAC advice.
The recently announced creation of a GAC-GNSO liaison position may help resolve this issue. The new position was designed to keep the GAC up to date on the industry happenings between the ICANN meetings.
