Re: [wg-c] more on non-shaired gTLDs

[John Charles Broomfield <jbroom@manta.outremer.com>]

William X. Walsh wrote:
> On 20-Mar-2000 John Charles Broomfield wrote:
> > William X. Walsh wrote:
> >> On 19-Mar-2000 Dave Crocker wrote:
> >> > At 02:39 PM 3/19/00 -0800, William X. Walsh wrote:
> >> >>Full and proper market competition would include competition at the
> >> >>registry
> >> >>level also, would it not?
> >> > Please specify exactly what you mean by "competition at the registry
> >> > level" 
> >> > and how pursuit of it does not run afoul of technical constraints, such as
> >> > those described by the Internet Architecture Board.
> >> > 
> >> 
> >> Dave,
> >> 
> >> We have over 240 registries today.   Can you explain how this works in light
> >> of any "technical constraints?"
> > 
> > Do you believe that ".fr" is competing with ".ar"? If so, could you explain
> > in what way?
> 
> What does theory behind competition have to do with "technical constraints?"
> 
> Technical constraints do not extend to economics, and the IAB is emminently
> unqualified to make statements based on economic theories of competition. 
> 
> Dave said there were technical constraints illustrated by this IAB document.  
> I'm tring to understand why there would be any, and where these technical
> constraints are documented.  They don't seem to be in the document quoted.

Your initial entry in this thread included "(...)Full and proper market
competition would include competition at the registry level(...)".
There are two possible interpretations there (which is why Dave asked for
clarification):
a) Competition can be achieved by having multiple entities manage the same
TLD (something which the IAB has stated as technically unfeasible).
b) Competition can be achieved by having multiple TLDs (each managed as a
single unit).

Dave stated that technical constraints do not allow option "a". You pointed
out instead that over 240 registries exist today (which would indicate that
you understand competition as option "b"). Though I am highly sceptical of
the possibility of TRUE competition (as opposed to exterior perceived) in a
future conglomeration of TLDs, I do not believe that this competition exists
in any meaningful way today. As you seemed to be defending option "b" by
saying that their are a lot of registries, I asked for clarification on this
competition between two random TLDs of those 240 (".fr" and ".ar").

Of course, you can play games all you like and if someone is giving
counter-arguments to option "a" you can answer with option "b", and if they
query you on option "b" you can state that it is irrelevant to option "a",
but it would just seem that you are trying to play games like crazy and not
answer straight forward questions.

When you talk about competition at the registry level are you talking about
option "a" or "b"? If it is "a", then how do you miraculously get around the
technical constraints of said option? If it is "b" then in what way do you
believe that ".fr" and ".ar" are competing?

Do you need it any clearer or do you continue to run in circles?

Yours, John Broomfield.