RE: [wg-c] IMPORTANT: DRAFT WG-C REPORT

["Rod Dixon, J.D., LL.M." <rod@cyberspaces.org>]

My Comment on Part One of the Report...regarding Issue Two - What Should be
the
Nature of the Initial Rollout?

In the part of the Report where it says "[t]he proposal that ICANN start by
depolying six to ten new TLDs, followed by an evaluation period, was crafted
as a compromise position" should state more clearly that the contours of
what an "evaluation period" is not part of the consensus.  This is a
critical point because, as far as I can recall, this WG did not agree on
what a  "testbed" really means.  From my perspective, the disagreement over
the meaning of an evaluation period is inextricably intertwined with the
differing views as to the potential adverse effects of  ICANN announcing a
limited initial rollout  of  additional gTLDs without concomitant assurances
that many, if not hundreds, of additional gTLDs will be authorized over the
next few years.  The draft Report (Part One) implies that the consensus
position, which is a balance between "aggresiveness and prudence,"  is that
an evaluation period is a "testbed" during which time the "Internet
community could see what lessons were to be learned from the initial
deployment" and that "subsequent gTLDs would rest on that initial
experience."  I do not think that this WG has determined that this is the
consensus view on what an evaluation period is or should be.  An alternative
view of the meaning of  "evaluation period" has been that the testbed would
be used to simply determine that the addition of gTLDs could occur under
technically feasible and operationally stable conditions. While this view
is, perhaps, more aggressive, I doubt that it is less prudent than other
views.  More to the point, many of us favor a more certain and definite
definition of testbed.  In this manner, it would allow ICANN to both offer
the sensible assurance that after the testbed, the addition of gTLDs is
highly likely and provide an objective measure and/or clear manner of
measuring the success or failure of the testbed. Consequently, I suggest
clearifying the statement in the Report to note that the consensus that the
Initial Rollout include 6 - 10 additional gTLDs does not include a consensus
on the scope and nature of the evaluation period.



Rod Dixon, J.D., LL.M.
www.cyberspaces.org
rod@cyberspaces.org