Approval process for gtld service changes

[Harold Feld]

Milton:

I don't think a consultation requirement is overly regulatory.  I do
think the need for consultation is greater, and consultation is easier,
in smaller communities.

Harold

Milton Mueller wrote:

>Harold:
>I want to make sure I understand where you are going with this.
>Most people involved in this controversy are advocating
>that unsponsored gTLDs be _more_ regulated than
>sponsored gTLDs. So my point 4 was meant to point
>out that if a case for intervention exists, it is basically
>the same for both sponsored and unsponsored.
>
>But what you say below implies the
>opposite: sponsored gTLDs should be more regulated
>by ICANN than unsponsored. Is that what you are saying?
>
>>>>Harold Feld <hfeld at MEDIAACCESS.ORG> 01/08/04 05:33PM >>>
>>>>
>I must disagree with point four.
>
>Milton Mueller wrote:
>
>>4. The PDP should consider whether there should be a distinction between
>>policies applied to sponsored and unsponsored TLDs. NCUC believes
>>the answer is no: if the justification for regulation is economic; i.e,
>>that users are locked in to a supplier and cannot switch service providers
>>without incurring damaging costs, then the same fundamental economic
>>problem applies regardless of whether the registry is sponsored or not.
>>If the justification for the process is technical, the answer is the same:
>>there is no relevant technical distinction between sponsored and un-
>>sponsored registries.
>>
>Sponsored TLDs may have communities in which particular changes are more
>damaging than others.  Furthermore, the collective nature of the
>community surrounding a sponsored TLD lends itself better to closer
>consultation with registrants.
>
>For example, to the extent museuems have customized how they use their
>domain names for particular purposes, in reliance on past practices of
>the .museum registry, a registry change might well have a significant
>effect on the entire community.  For larger, more diffuse registries,
>such as unsponsored TLDs or sponsored TLDs with broader communities,
>such as .biz, the cost of community consultation is much higher and the
>vulnerability of the entire community as a whole to a change in policy
>is decreased.
>
>Harold
>
>
>

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