Mr. Peter Dengate-Thrush Chair - ICANN Board Re: Vertical Integration Recommendations for the New gTLD Program Dear Peter, This is in response to Section 2.11 (Vertical Integration) of the 25 September 2010 Adopted Board Resolutions (http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-25sep10-en.htm) in which the ICANN Board inquired whether the GNSO has achieved a consensus position on the topic of vertical integration with regard to New gTLDs. Please be advised that the GNSO Council was notified by the Vertical Integration PDP Working Group (VI WG) that it was unable to reach a consensus position on the issue of vertical integration. Although the WG has been diligently evaluating this issue for several months, it is unable to deliver recommendations that are supported by a consensus of its members by the ICANN Board's deadline of 8 October 2010. Sincerely, Chuck Gomes Chair GNSO Council