Important: Tiered Pricing Battle Again At ICANN

[carlton]

Big corporations are now speaking out against the new TLD's. Many submissions today including Microsoft, the FDIC, Time Warner, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, GoDaddy (who question ICANN's ability to coordinate and oversee such a potentially huge undertaking), American Bankers Association, etc.

[katherine]

Neustar is on record now as desiring removing of price caps on .biz names, if other new gTLDs get it. See their comments in the PDF of:

http://forum.icann.org/lists/gtld-guide/msg00139.html

"In the event that price caps are not included for the new gTLDs, NeuStar believes that price caps must be removed from the .biz registry agreement." (bottom of page 8)

Still a couple of hours left, for those waiting until the last minute to comment.

Scary stuff. I'm starting to wonder how long the Internet will survive Icann's inept policies.

[GeorgeK]

Good news from the NTIA/DOC and US Department of Justice:

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/comments/2008/ICANN_081218.pdf

More from Reuters at:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/techno...BrandChannel=0

If you read all 11 pages, it's vindication for all those who have opposed ICANN's brain-damaged policies and reports over the years. The US government really gave them a spanking.

(I tried to create this under a different thread subject, but it looks like DNForum's system filtered/blocked it, hmmm)

Victory! We just need to make sure that VeriSign, Neustar and other registry operators don't try to use politics to get their way with the new administration.

[Vision]

Excellent news.

A BIG THANK YOU General Kirikos for the intel and leading the fight!

Victory!

[carlton]

Excellent news.

A BIG THANK YOU General Kirikos for the intel and leading the fight!

Victory!

Definitely ditto your comments Vision. George made a huge difference. Without his intel, some bad stuff would have been slipped in under radar.

[jdk]

Thanks George for leading the way and for everyone who put forth effort to ensure this would end as a victory.

[carlton]

Here's a brief but persuasive article quoting many industry leaders who are against ICANN's plan to line its pockets with millions ...

http://www.networkworld.com/news/200...n.html?hpg1=bn

[copper]

Good news, but...
It isn't over yet, or is it?

[WebsiteTraders.Com]

Thanx George and everyone else for your contributions.

[katherine]

Nice job George.

[whitebark]

It isn't over yet, or is it?

Like herpes it will be back.

[Acro]

Great news. Thank you, George for your consistently hard and effective work.

[Stian]

Good news from the NTIA/DOC and US Department of Justice:

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/comments/2008/ICANN_081218.pdf

More from Reuters at:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/techno...BrandChannel=0

If you read all 11 pages, it's vindication for all those who have opposed ICANN's brain-damaged policies and reports over the years. The US government really gave them a spanking.

(I tried to create this under a different thread subject, but it looks like DNForum's system filtered/blocked it, hmmm)

Victory! We just need to make sure that VeriSign, Neustar and other registry operators don't try to use politics to get their way with the new administration.

Great work George! I'm glad there are so many hard-working and enthusiastic people like you in this industry.

[GeorgeK]

Amusingly, ICANN just posted on their blog that there will be a revised version of the new gTLD guidebook in 2009:

http://blog.icann.org/2008/12/applic...period-update/

They must have their heads in the sand, given what the DOC and DOJ told them. It would be a sign of suicidal tendencies if they go off the reservation and produce a revised guidebook before doing the relevant economic studies and further consultation with the community. I'm sure the DOC and DOJ would have no issues yanking the root management role from ICANN if ICANN decides to go rogue.

[500,000]

Love Wins

[GeorgeK]

I think the community needs to remain vigilant, watching out for negative changes, and proactively speak out to let their concerns be known.

BTW, if anyone wants to thank the DOJ for their letter, antitrust.atr@usdoj.gov appears to be the appropriate general email for them:

http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/contact.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/garzabio.htm

I already sent mine. [might be wise to put ATTN: Deborah Garza in the subject or something so that it gets routed to her]

[Rubber Duck]

Amusingly, ICANN just posted on their blog that there will be a revised version of the new gTLD guidebook in 2009:

http://blog.icann.org/2008/12/applic...period-update/

They must have their heads in the sand, given what the DOC and DOJ told them. It would be a sign of suicidal tendencies if they go off the reservation and produce a revised guidebook before doing the relevant economic studies and further consultation with the community. I'm sure the DOC and DOJ would have no issues yanking the root management role from ICANN if ICANN decides to go rogue.

It depends on who you see as going rogue. The US Treasury might well trump the pair of them it was worried that it would have to finance its stimulus package with worthless bits of paper.

Whatever, the DOC says, the US economy shrank by a lot more than 0.5% in the third quarter and even Obama is not going to be able to dig everyone out of the shit without a lot of foreign money.

Unilateral action on ICANN is not really a good idea anyway. Beside just about anyone can start setting up Root servers. To Unilaterally regulate the Internet, you actually have to own it. And the basic problem is that it doesn't fit as tidily under US ownership as many here seem to think.

Having said that these two Acting Assistants seem to be talking a lot of sense. I rather suspect that the ICA is operating the ventriloquist's dummy here. Whether those acting still have authority to act, or even a seat to sit on come January is, however, another consideration.