Re: [wg-c] Working Group C agenda

["Christopher Ambler" <cambler@iodesign.com>]

Caveat: my understanding only

> At this point, what is Working Group C trying to achieve?

Having recommended 6-10 new TLDs as a testbed, and failing to arrive
at consensus on any of the other points, there is a little discussion going
on about the criteria for qualification as a testbed registry. There appears
little hope for consensus on any but the most obvious components thereof.

> What are the issues that Working Group C is expected to address?

They have been spelled out, and will be again, I'm sure - and while I don't
recall them all, I do recall that we have not been able to reach consensus
on any of them.

> If Working Group C fails to make progress on the details of how new TLDs
> get created, what happens?  Nothing?

No, what happens is what has been expected to happen all along. Consensus
failing to appear, the name council will make their own decision, forward it
to ICANN along with their opinion on the single item we were able to
resolve (6-10 TLDs), and ICANN will decide. Seeing as the single item
we resolved may be modified quite simply, I would hazard the opinion that
all of our time here was wasted: ICANN is going to do what ICANN is
going to do.

And it'll be done behind closed doors.

Pardon me, I misspoke; it has already been decided behind closed doors.
ICANN will just put on a nice show of "thinking about it." They will then
call for "public comment" and enact any parts of the public comment that
they have already decided upon, and come up with reasons to reject those
parts that they've decided against.

As has been done to date on all other issues. Do you actually expect
otherwise?

Me? Bitter?

Christopher Ambler
chris@the.web