Comments on the auctioning process
It seems to me the fundamental values of such a model are wrong. There are different TLD models and target communities. The auction model does not distinguish among them. There could be purposely smaller, not-for-profit TLDs, as well as large commercial operations. The model proposed is largely supportive of the latter. I think ICANN would miss its societal role if it relied only on wealth to select between competing proposals. As per RFC1591: http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1591.txt"The major concern in selecting a designated manager for a domain is that it be able to carry out the necessary responsibilities, and have the ability to do a equitable, just, honest, and competent job. 2) These designated authorities are trustees for the delegated domain, and have a duty to serve the community." The mere possibility of auctions will actually generate contention onsome strings. The little guys wishing to establish a not-for-profit TLD will be outplayed by the wealthy ones. Another important point is what will happen with the auction money. Will it be used to refund the loser(s) from their application fees and related costs ? Patrick Vande Walle Founder DotSport |