RE: Registries and iTLDs

[Jim Browning <jfbb@atmnet.net>]

>From:  Donald Heath[SMTP:heath@linus.isoc.org]
>Sent:  Friday, December 06, 1996 3:45 PM
>
>As a result of that effort, I do not think we (the IAHC) should do anything
>to allow anyone, or any company, to "get rich."  I think that domain
>names are a device to allow the naming of computers that are attached
>to the Internet.  iTLDs should not be a vehicle for any entity to profit
>excessively.  They should be nothing more than what they are: an
>international resource that assist in the mechanisms to achieve
>uniqueness in domain names.
>
>That said, it begs that there should be only _shared iTLDs_, probably
>not too many (in the 100s at tops maybe); there should be _multiple
>registries_, and they should be scattered around the globe; they
>should be considered as a _public service_ with enough income to
>provide the required service and enough profit to provide the incentive
>to function.

If a registry is able to make a profit on significant revenues (certainly if it is along the lines of what is occurring with .com), the owners of that business can become wealthy by most people's standards.  >From a global population standpoint, I suspect everyone on this list would be considered rich.  Rather than arguing about how rich, the focus should be on preventing/eliminating monopolies.  Only if there is a monopoly will the free market system be unable to control the amount of profit (and thus the wealth) obtained by registry operators.

The big question is whether the elimination of monopolies requires that all iTLDs be shared, or whether there can be sufficient registry competition by merely by adding additional iTLDs.

I personally favor the concept of shared iTLDs, as this will have the most positive impact on quality of service and ensure the absence of monopolistic practices with respect to more popular iTLDs.

A related question is whether preferences of any kind should be given to not-for-profit companies or coalitions who might want to operate a registry (or even _the_ registry).  I believe it would certainly be 'doable' to put together a consortium of Internet related companies willing to work together on a not-for-profit/good-of-the-Internet basis to establish a registry.  

Establishing non-profit registries eliminates a lot of controversy.
--
Jim Browning