Registrar-registry vertical integration

[Milton L Mueller]

Dear all:
I just developed this statement regarding the vertical separation issue. It did not (as it may seem) come out of thin air - I have been following this issue for some time and have been lobbied heavily by both sides. 

I am submitting this here, and to the NCUC social networking site, for discussion; it is not an official statement yet. Let me know what you think. There is an group devoted to this on the ncdnhc.org site.

In the course of developing this, I made an astonishing realization. And because of that realization, I am making an urgent request of our GNSO Council reps. 

The separation of registries and registrars is a fundamental aspect of ICANN's regulatory model. A departure from that policy, whether good or bad, is a huge policy shift that affects consumers and the industry in numerous ways. And yet, THE GNSO NEVER MADE ANY POLICY ABOUT THIS. The policy is being defined entirely top down through staff initiatives. It is - believe it or not - being treated as an "implementation" issue. 

Therefore, along with submitting this proposed statement, I am asking our Council reps to QUICKLY formally move that Registry-registrar separation be taken up by the GNSO Council. This requires, I believe, a movement that an issues report be made. I understand that this has to be put on the Council agenda by Thursday. Hope this can happen. 


Milton Mueller
Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies
XS4All Professor, Delft University of Technology
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Internet Governance Project:
http://internetgovernance.org