[gnso-ff-pdp-may08] Matt Larson statement of interest

[Matt Larson <mlarson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am Director of DNS Research for VeriSign, Inc.  VeriSign is the
registry operator for the .com and the .net gTLDs and also provides
backend registry services in support of Global Name Registry for the
.name gTLD and Employ Media for the .jobs gTLD.  VeriSign is also the
registry operator for two ccTLDs, .cc for the Cocos and Keelings
Islands and .tv for Tuvalu.

As an employee who supports VeriSign's naming services business, I
sometimes have access to Registry Sensitive information including
information about registrars.  With regard to both our gTLD and ccTLD
registration services businesses as well as other VeriSign businesses,
our customers and business associates have interests in various ICANN
policy issues and may be members of other GNSO constituencies and/or
supporting organizations.

In addition to registry agreements with ICANN for .com and .net,
VeriSign also has obligations to the U.S. Department of Commerce
through a cooperative agreement that was initiated in 1993 and has
been amended many times since then.  Those obligations include
operating the A and J root servers as well as support to the IANA
function in implementing changes in the root zone file.  As such,
VeriSign is a member of the DNS Root Server System Advisory Committee
and also works closely with IANA staff in the processing of root zone
changes.

As an operator of critical Internet infrastructure that must be
operated at high availability levels and withstand attacks, VeriSign
has an interest in the threats represented by fast flux networks.
Also, for the good of the Internet community, VeriSign is interested
in developing means to detect fast flux networks and develop
mitigations.

I own shares of VeriSign stock and hold options to purchase additional
shares, but the amount of shares I currently own plus the potential
shares I could possibly own if I exercised all options is a miniscule
number relative to the total number of VeriSign shares.