Re: The King is Dead! No More Kings Thanks Very Much...

[Jay@Iperdome.com]

At 10:19 AM 9/18/97 -0700, andi payn wrote:
>You also have to consider that the people who run the various organizations
>and "functions" which maintain the Internet--IANA, the root server
>administrators, earlier manifestations of InterNIC, etc.--have mostly been
>working on a volunteer basis (or paid small amounts from US government
>grants) to do work which nobody thought would be profitable. I don't think
>any of them are in it for money, power, or even prestige. 

Although I don't remember the specific reference, I seem to recall 
that IANA has been funded to the tune of $500,000 per year.  That 
is a substantial amount, considering the actual costs and personnel 
requirements for this administrative function.

>At this point,
>with the growing commercialization of the Internet, and especially with
>NSI's actions over the past few years, many of the volunteers, government
>organizations, and government grant recipients seem more interested in
>getting out (if they can do so without ruining the Internet) than in finding
>a way to consolidate power, or turn a profit.

IANA's recent moves to find alternate sources of funding, and its 
support of the gTLD-MoU power-grab would imply otherwise.


Regards,

Jay Fenello
President, Iperdome, Inc.  
404-250-3242  http://www.iperdome.com