The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) is a committee within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is responsible for the coordination of the global Internet’s system of unique identifiers, including domain names, IP addresses, and protocol parameters. The GAC is one of the stakeholder groups within ICANN and plays an important role in providing advice and input on matters related to public policy and government interests in the domain name system (DNS) and Internet governance.

Key points about the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) include:

  1. Composition: The GAC is composed of representatives from national governments and distinct economies. Each government or economy is allowed to appoint one representative to the GAC, and these representatives often include individuals from government departments or agencies responsible for Internet policy and governance.
  2. Advisory Role: The primary role of the GAC is to provide advice to the ICANN Board on matters related to public policy and government interests as they relate to the DNS and ICANN’s activities. This advice is intended to inform ICANN’s decision-making processes.
  3. Policy Development: The GAC participates in ICANN’s policy development processes by reviewing and commenting on proposed policies, especially those that have implications for public policy or government interests. While the GAC’s advice is non-binding, it is given considerable weight within ICANN.
  4. Meetings: The GAC holds regular meetings throughout the year, both in-person and remotely, to discuss various Internet governance issues, emerging policy challenges, and developments within ICANN.
  5. Consensus Building: The GAC operates by seeking consensus among its members on key issues. It aims to provide unified advice to ICANN whenever possible, reflecting the collective views of governments and economies.
  6. Public Interest: The GAC’s advice often focuses on safeguarding the public interest, promoting security and stability, and ensuring that the Internet remains an accessible and trusted global resource.
  7. Transparency: GAC meetings and deliberations are generally transparent, with documents and advice made publicly available. This transparency is in line with ICANN’s commitment to openness and accountability.
  8. Role in New gTLDs: The GAC played a significant role in the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) by providing early warnings and advice regarding applications that raised public policy concerns or were associated with geographic names.
  9. International Collaboration: The GAC collaborates with other ICANN advisory committees, stakeholder groups, and international organizations to address global Internet governance challenges.

Overall, the Governmental Advisory Committee plays a vital role in ensuring that the development and management of the domain name system and other critical Internet resources take into account the interests and concerns of governments from around the world.