[wg-c] Choosing the intial testbed

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

There are a large number of proposals for TLDs.  If ICANN begins with
the WG-C proposal of 6 to 10 testbed TLDs, it will be pretty hard to
decide which TLDs go first.

Assuming that the testbed is simply the first step in a real expansion
of the TLD space (as were the first testbed registrars for .com, .net
and .org), it may not be extremely important which ones go first, but it
will probably be important enough to be controversial.

I propose the decision making be decentralized.  I would recommend 3 be
selected by the business/registrar constituencies, 3 by the
non-commercial domain holders, and 3 selected by the ICANN at large
members, in an online vote.  That's 9, and the 10th could be selected in
some other way.  Perhaps a lottery by those with "pioneer" proposals, or
something else.  This would provide a simple way to reduce the power
that any one group would have, and it would probably also lead to some
diversity in the types of management structures considered in the first
round.

   Jamie

-----------------------
James Love, Consumer Project on Technology    
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