Re: ISPs as stakeholders

[John Broomfield <jbroom@outremer.com>]

At 21:33 09/12/97 +0000, Jim Dixon wrote:
(...)
>I have now said consistently for several weeks is that if com/net/org
>are to be handed over to CORE, it should be closely scrutinized, and a 
>reasonable price exacted.  Given the fact that something like 97% of 
>.COM registrants are America, the transfer of the .COM registry out of 
>the USA must be justified.  If .COM must be transferred into another
>legal venue, the venue must certainly be scrutinized.
>
>Is it at all possible to address the issues?
>
>*	why should the .COM registry, nearly all of whose registrants 
>	are in the USA, be transferred out of North America?
>
>*	if the .COM registry is to be moved to another jurisdiction, 
>	is Switzerland a good choice?
(...)

Just guessing out loud here...
	My guess is that NSI won't pack it's bags and jump into the sea, so
let's have a look at two different scenarios.
-NSI fights like crazy and publicly against having COM/NET/ORG turned over
to CORE. If the outcoñe to this were to be that they WERE turned over to
CORE, this would probably mean that NSF sanctioned it, so at least NSF (USG)
would see fit. If the USG sees fit, why shouldn't you?
-NSI decides on amicable terms to go along and hand control of COM/NET/ORG
over to CORE. This would most certainly mean that NSI would decide to become
a registrar. As we're saying that this is on amicable terms, it would probably
mean that their current database automatically gets put in, so all existing
COM/NET/ORG continue to work as if nothing had happened.
It also means that all existing NSI customers would continue to be NSI
customers
(what the hell, they've in general paid 2 years in advance...), except of
course
if they either decide to waiver whatever cash they have left (maybe some
months
left in their contract) and move to another registrar, or decide to move to
another one on expiration of their contract. As far as the remaining customers
of NSI (the majority of COM NET ORG as we know it *today*), their legal status
wouldn't really change. And if they DO feel that they've gotten a raw deal,
they
can still sue NSI for "doing" them. So, your happy-go-sue types can still have
their cake. Go check the contract that you have today with NSI and see what
rights
it confers you (if any).

Give other likely scenarios where you see problems, and you too can have
fun at
the guessing game.

Yours, John Broomfield.