Re: [wg-d] "Interim Measures"

["Bret A. Fausett" <baf@fausett.com>]

Jonathan Weinberg wrote:
>I understood Bret's message yesterday, though, to suggest the WG-C members
>might be preparing position statements more as an intermediate step, to
>focus the group's thinking, and to lay the groundwork for more
>sophisticated discussion and possible revision and compromise.

Both you and Javier make good points.

I understood David's comments, and my attempt to distill and incorporate 
them, as listing items that should be in any final report of a WG. You're 
correct that what we're discussing are the intermediate steps on the road 
to a final report. Javier correctly reminds us that many of impact and 
support issues might come from the public, or the constituencies, during 
the public comment period; presumably, those comments will be studied by 
the WG and included in the WG's final work product. 

With that process in mind and knowing that this WG might require any WG 
to include the kinds of "impact analysis" items listed in David's 
previous message, drafters of interim position statements might be well 
advised to consider those issues as they prepare their drafts and seek to 
court public opinion. 

Assume the question is "how many, how fast?" A report that stakes a 
position and then addresses how registries will be established, what the 
approval process will be, what the business model will be, how registrars 
will interface with the new registries, how the demand for new names will 
be handled (e.g., how the first new gTLD will handle the hundreds of 
thousands of new registrations it will receive in the first hour it 
opens), what the impact will be on users, trademark owners, registrars, 
etc. will certainly make a better impression in the general assembly than 
one that simply says "5 per month for the next 12 months" without any 
detail.

But I like the idea of letting the market forces work. Addressing impact 
issues can be recommended, but not required (for interim position 
statements). 

      -- Bret