[wg-c] WG questions

[Ivan Pope <ivan@netnames.com>]

These are the questions the WG is here to answer with my veiw on how to go
about answering them:

Working Group C (WG C) is requested to develop a document -showing the
consensus of the different groups involved- responding to the following
questions:

Should there be new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs)? 
- I don't think we should answer this with a yes or a no. We should define
how new gTLDs should be defined and developed and that mechanism will itself
answer this question for us by either creating or not creating new gTLDs.

If yes: How many? 
- As above, I think our mechanism should be the thing that answers this
question, not the WG.

Which? 
- I would prefer us to define a system for choosing rather than actually
choose a set of names.

At which speed should they be deployed and in which order? 
- Again, although it is tempting to define speed and order, it should be our
job to define a mechanism that handles this - not just for the 'first few',
but for any number of gTLDs that may get created over the years.

What should be the mechanism for developing new gTLDs after all these are
deployed?
- Aha, this is the 64,000 dollar question. Though I would hope that we can
define a mechanism that will deploy all gTLDs from the beginning, not just
the 'next set'. There is no presumption that there is any first set of
gTLDs.

Should each new gTLD have a specific charter?
- I think we can try to answer this question specifically, though we should
be guided by the answers to the questions above. 

How should the new gTLDs be managed?
- We need to do some defining of this question. In what way is it meant? I
would guess by contract between ICANN and the Operator of the gTLD. 

What should the registry(ies) be like? 
- We need to do some defining of this question. Surely the Registries should
be like an efficient open commercial operation, i.e. that they provide
honest and efficient service to all those who require their products. They
should operate according to the gTLD contract that they have with ICANN. It
should be the gTLD contract that governs their actions, not some notion of
what the Registry should be like, surely.

Is it mandatory to have a new registry(ies)?
Why? 
- I don't see how we can have new gTLDs without new Registries. I don't see
how we can create a working landscape of gTLD registration systems without
Registries. That said, a Registry is the operational face of a gTLD, not a
thing to be granted by ICANN or mandated by our group. A Registry is a set
of computers and Internet connections and people. The policies that the
Registry apply to any gTLD that it runs should be controlled by contract,
not the Registry itself.

Does the structure proposed comply with worldwide concepts of anti-trust
law? 
- I'm not sure that this is for us to answer. It implies that we may be
setting up some restrictive processes. I would guess that the lawyers among
us will guide us for now and that serious input would be taken later.

That's my view at this stage.
Let's go back to the top!
Ivan