[nc-org] Dot org report

["Milton Mueller" <Mueller@syr.edu>]

In preparing revisions in the org report, I 
have considered some of Thomas Roessler's 
comments. His comments are on the whole 
excellent and well taken, but I think he 
misunderstands the function
of the DNSO policy-making process. 

In effect, Roessler is asking us to write a detailed
Request for Proposals (RFP), which asks for such things
as a detailed business plan, the contractual and
legal capabilities of the sponsoring organization
to enforce an outsourcing contract, etc.

I don't think that is our function at this stage. 
That is the next step in the process:
we hand a general policy to ICANN, and they
write the RFP that implements it. So I will
not be proposing any modifications to the
report that respond to these concerns.

Finally, Roessler makes a comment about
the $1000 application fee limit which misses
the point. Of course, any serious organization
could afford to put up more than $1000.
But what reason is there to require it? 
As Roessler himself points out, the real 
costs here are in developing a proposal and
in rounding up political, legal and financial
support. Those costs will run in the tens of
thousands of dollars. There is no legitimate 
reason to pile additional costs on to the 
process. The need for doing so is further
obviated by the $5 million that Verisign is
providing for the transitional process. 
$1000 is enough to prevent any
non-serious applicants. But unreasonably
high upfront costs may scare away 
legitimate applicants.

--MM