Re: [wg-c-1] WORK: Question #1 New GTLDs

[Milton Mueller <mueller@syr.edu>]

Kevin J. Connolly wrote:

> This is not an obvious matter.  It is actually related to the question whether TLDs may or will have charters that differentiate them.  That is, if every new gTLD that gets rolled out is freely available for registration by all comers, then what do we accomplish?

I agree with the implication of this question. New gTLDs accomplish very little if they simply expand the name space without bringing any additional differentiation of service, or any new competition based on that differentiation.

I have been complaining for the last three months that allowing new "registrars" in com, net and org does not create "competition" with NSI of any consequence. Registrar competition does not alter the fact that you are still stuck with a monopoly at the registry level, which is the most important level. Only when there are alternative registries, with their own distinct and exclusive identities, can we speak of full-fledged competition in domain name registration.


> Yes, I know I'm anticipating a later issue, but we have to at least be aware that adding new TLDs is going to require that SOME of those new TLDs have charters.

I could mean "charters." It could also mean additional private, exclusively "branded" commercial registries like NSI or like dot cc, which purports to be a country code but is marketed and run like a proprietary registry.

>      (a)  How many?  Lots!  This will devalue the control over a top level domain, which in turn will encourage more business/traffic on the Internet.

Yes, it's amazing how little attention has been paid to elementary theories about supply and demand in this debate. I emphatically agree that whatever number of new TLDs are authorized, it should be enough to make each one's success dependent upon its quality of service, price, and marketing appeal, and not on any artificial restrictions on the name space.

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