Just when you think the ccTLDs have a chance to flex their muscles and force ICANN
to give them more representation, NSI comes along and considers purchasing such domain
names. Seems ICANN and NSI are certainly looking out for each other because
they both realize just how real the threat of alternative root servers are in the
not-so-distant future. Provided below are excerpts, along with links, on two
respective articles dealing with such issues. Why is this message being posted
here? Well, the issue of At Large Membership may hopefully be MOOT! Why
even address this issue when the answer is quite obvious. In my book, this
public forum is simply a "Mopping Up" exercise strictly for PR damage control.
Too late!
______________________________________________________________________ccTLD'S
AND A RECALCITRANT ICANN
If the country code registrars broke away, Icann would
be left with the generic top level domains such as .com, .net and .org but its claim
to represent the net at large would be in tatters
http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4820
______________________________________________________________________
Network
Bolsters Domain Holdings With Dot-TV Domain
Internet addressing giant Network Solutions
may consider buying a stake in other "boutique" Internet domains following its recent
investment in ".tv," a Network Solutions spokesperson said today.
And while .tv
is the first two-letter, country code top-level Internet domain (ccTLD) to gain prominence
as a commercial alternative to the three-letter generic top-level domains (gTLDs)
such as .com, it likely won't be the last, and Network Solutions executives are keeping
their eyes peeled for other investment opportunities, Regan said.
Regan would
not specify which domains Network Solutions was eyeing, but a handful of two-letter
domains held by small countries are already being commercialized. Some of the ccTLDs
viewed as viable alternatives to generic domains include .to (Tonga), .cc (Cocos
Islands), .md (Moldova) and .nu (Niue).
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/00/158746.html