FSC ED Diane Duke Travels to Brussels for GAC/ICANN Conference

CANOGA PARK, Calif.—Free Speech Coalition Executive Director Diane Duke will travel next week to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the ICANN Board-GAC consultation. Duke will represent the best interests of adult online businesses that stand in opposition to the proposed .XXX sTLD. According to ICANN, the meeting will address differences between the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) advice and the current implementation of the GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization) New gTLD Policy recommendations. The goal is then to arrive at resolutions between the ICANN Board and GAC, or—if resolutions cannot be reached—to identify which issues remain unresolved. The U.S. government, and several others, has recently expressed concern about the current “generic” Top Level Domain proposal and fear that it may cause widespread fragmentation of the Internet. There has been no indication from ICANN when its board will address .XXX domains or render a decision regarding the .XXX sTLD. However, Duke will be present to lobby members of the GAC and ICANN, in advance of the ICANN’s next board meeting, to be held in March, in San Francisco. “It is critical that the ICANN Board and GAC hear the concerns of the adult entertainment community regarding .XXX,” Duke said. “I will carry those concerns with me and make sure that they are fully expressed.” For more information visit the Free Speech Coalition website or blog.