Re: [wg-c] breaking up (names) is hard to do

["Ross Wm. Rader" <ross@ebarn.com>]

> 
> 	But -- controversial as this may be -- I think the only way to do that is
> via free entry into the TLD namespace.  If I can switch easily from .sports
> to .athletics, then .sports can exercise little market power.  If it's easy
> to establish .athletics, then, when the .sports registry starts to gouge,
> someone will in fact start .athletics (and Milton's proposal should address
> the problem of lock-in and switching costs).  But if there *is* no
> .athletics, or anything else like it, and there's no easy way to create it,
> tthen .sports has market power corresponding to the degree that it's a
> better TLD for certain registrants than any other, and it can use that
> power to extract inefficient rents.
> 

I couldn't agree more. My only issue with free entry is that it is
controlled, or backended, but a sane and thoughtful process. I don't think
that a free-for-all is in anyone's best interests. If the process for
adding a new TLD to the root is no more restrictive or onerous than the
process by which a registrar is accredited by ICANN, I would fully support
free entrance.

-RWR