Re[2]: [wg-c] Eureka?

["William X. Walsh" <william@dso.net>]

Saturday, August 07, 1999, 9:25:37 PM, Ross Wm. Rader <ross@ebarn.com> wrote:

>>Ross Wm. Rader wrote:
>>
>>> The idea that an individual or organization should manage any
>>> portion of TLD space for it's own benefit is both dangerous and stupid.
>>
>>Just so I know:
>>Is it also "dangerous and stupid" for any enterprise
>>to manage for its own profit:
>>
>>1) radio spectrum bands?
>>2) real estate?
>>3) third-level domain names under a registered SLD?
>>4) an Internet exchange point?
>>5) a domain name server?
>>6) telecommunication links into the Internet?
>>7) a domain name brokerage for SLDs?
>>8) an Internet access provider?


> I completely understand your point, but as I've already mentioned, the idea
> that these working groups will lay the foundation for NSI v2.0 sincerely
> bothers me. There are only one of each TLD and I'm not sure that we can
> afford to screw it up by putting private interests ahead of the publics.
> Sometimes these interests are coincidental, but all to often the
> relationship ends up being extremely one-sided.

I don't see how this could happen, unless we fail to enter reasonable
safe guards.  There are ways to avoid this without introducing
anticommercial/anticompetitive rules.

For example, dictate that in no event will one registry operated more
than X number of TLDs, nor shall any organization have "effective"
control over more than X number of TLDs (effective control to include
subsidiaries/etc of the organization), etc.

Lets open a discussion on "reasonable" safe guards, and what they
would constitute.  I seem to remember a discussion in domain-policy
last year that seemed to have met no opposition in saying that no
organization shall ever operate or have control over more than 3 TLDs,
and that during the initial rollout, this number should be confined to
one.

Comments?

--
William X. Walsh
General Manager, DSo Internet Services
Email: william@dso.net  Fax:(209) 671-7934


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