Well the news is partly good and partly bad. As a whole the letter seems to be an attempt by NTIA to get ICANN to stop or delay for another 2 years or so any addition of new TLDs. We know that lots of business/trademark lobbies have been complaining loudly about the new gTLD process. While the paragraph cited by Robin does indeed agree with our position, the general upshot is “back to square one.” I would like to solicit constituency comment: is this new gTLD process so bad that we want to stop it altogether? In many ways this would have to be seen as a massive failure – after 10 years, ICANN still cannot define an ongoing process to add new TLDs?

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From: Non-Commercial User Constituency [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robin Gross
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 1:49 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [NCUC-DISCUSS] US Govt Agrees with NCUC on ICANN's "Inappropriate" Plan to Police Morality and Public Order

The US Govt submitted its comments to ICANN on the introduction of new gTLDs. 

http://forum.icann.org/lists/gtld-guide/msg00175.html

And the US Govt agreed with a point NCUC has been making throughout this entire process.  The US suggests ICANN "Focus on coordinating technical functions related to the management of the DNS and not on matters more appropriately addressed by governments, such as adjudication of morality and public order and the community objections in accordance with international human rights law.  The proposed mechanisms are inappropriate."

Interesting to say the least.

Best,

Robin