Re: [bc-gnso] ICANN hearings

[Michael Castello <michaelc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well said Mike, thanks

Michael Castello
CEO/President
Castello Cities Internet Network, Inc.
http://www.ccin.com
michael@xxxxxxxx

--
Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 2:37:47 PM, you wrote:


MR> Reading over today's testimony, one can't help but have the
MR> feeling that ICANN is digging itself deeper and deeper into a
MR> bunker position from which it may not recover.

MR> I'm reminded of the gigantic underground cistern located near the
MR> Blue Mosque in Istanbul.   Worth a trip if you haven't seen it.

MR> After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Goths and so on came
MR> down the peninsula and ravaged the city.  So walls were built.  
MR> Then sieges were put in place and folks ran out of water.  So at
MR> great expense the cistern was dug and covered over.   Then longer
MR> sieges, etc.  The invaders prevailed.

MR> The moral being that some ideas are so flawed that no amount of
MR> building walls thicker and cisterns deeper will carry the day.

MR> The Kurt Pritz testimony goes on for more than 15 pages trying to
MR> cover every possible contingency of bad behavior connected to new TLDs.   
And doesn't succeed.

MR> Even though the BC membership includes members with multiple
MR> relationships to ICANN, some of which are linked to proposed new
MR> TLDs, the core rationale for our constituency is to represent
MR> business users of the Domain Name System.   Setting aside IDNs,
MR> which have their own rationale, I haven't seen any enthusiasm for
MR> new TLDs among users, and most of us have been opposed but willing
MR> to work on the details with ICANN because that seemed better than
MR> letting it happen without any input from us.   What we have gotten
MR> for our trouble is Kurt claiming in his testimony that there is
MR> broad community support for new TLDs.  That has never been the case.

MR> The ever greater accretion of protective bureaucracy to the
MR> program has produced a balance of costs and benefits - in the
MR> broad sense, including more than dollars and cents - that is
MR> seriously out of whack.   It's time for us to acknowledge this, and say so 
publicly.

MR> - Mike