“The GAC does not consider the information provided by the board to have answered the GAC concerns as to whether the ICM application meets the sponsorship criteria,” the GAC wrote in a memo posted late Thursday.
The GAC, which reiterated a memo released in February that objected to ICM's .XXX plan, expressed concerns on the eve of the ICANN vote on .XXX by the full board slated for Friday.
The revised plan would allow ICM to assume oversight of Internet content, and that it would be inconsistent with ICANN’s technical mandate, the board said in its disapproval.
Earlier in the day, ICM's chairman and CEO Stuart Lawley told XBIZ that “There is no consensus amongst the GAC members."
The GAC decision carries weight but is nonbinding
On Friday, ICANN's 15 board members could approve .XXX, reject it outright or reject it but leave room for a revised proposal to return. The board also could defer a decision for more discussion.
ICANN has rejected .XXX proposals twice in the last seven years — once in 2004 and last May — and already has discussed the latest version during three closed-door meetings this year.
ICANN revived the issue in January after ICM agreed to hire independent organizations to monitor online adult site compliance with new regulations, which would be developed by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility, a separate entity.