Stupid, incompetent, or both?

A Generally Atrocious Communiqué.

I’ve learned a lot over the years while writing about the domain industry. In the past three years I’ve learned that if there’s a laborious article I need to research and write that has to do with new TLDs, I can just wait a little while and Kevin Murphy will do it instead.

That’s what he’s done with “This is how stupid the GAC’s new gTLDs advice is“.

The GAC’s “advice” about new top level domains coming out of Beijing is mind boggling. Here’s how Murphy sums it up:

For the last few weeks I’ve been attempting to write a sensible analysis of the Governmental Advisory Committee’s advice on new gTLDs without resorting to incredulity, hyperbole or sarcasm.

I failed, so you’ll have to read this instead.

Indeed, “stupid” is the first word that came to mind when I saw the GAC’s Beijing Communiqué. Incompetent was the second word that came to mind.

Unless, of course, the entire goal of GAC is to kill off or slow down the new TLD train. Then its Communiqué was frickin’ brilliant.

I see only one way for ICANN to handle the situation: after public comment, politely reject the “advice”.