Network Concerns

["Richard Morton" <rmorton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Network Concerns

Is ICANN considering the overall network capabilities of the bidders for the
.net registry?  I am particularly concerned about whether they have human
technical support with experience in managing all aspects of these types of
networks.  Also, what about redundancy, both on site and off site?  What
would a prolonged power outage mean for each bidder?  What about a weather
disaster or other natural disasters?  Do the bidders have backup sites?
Have you visited these sites?  Are there network sites in multiple countries
in case a national system fails?  Also, what about dealing with
international customers who speak languages other than English?  VeriSign
has a lot going for it in these regards, and I do not wish to see such an
important function transferred without a very good reason.  Expertise and
capabilities take time to build.  I seriously ask if ICANN has considered
just how long it would take new bidders to catch up with VeriSign?s
capabilities.  And what would be the cost to users if they failed at what
VeriSign has succeeded?  Serious-minded people are concerned about the
direction of ICANN because of what seems as a boredom with issues such as
security and capabilities.  It appears that ICANN is sometimes more
interested in being a ?player.?  I understand that ICANN is the center of
attention during events like these, but I hope ICANN sticks to its knitting
and focuses on the integrity of the Internet.  .Net is a huge registry.
VeriSign has done a good job of building capabilities over time.  Seriously,
can the other bidders make the same claim?  Can they perform with the same
level of expertise and success?  I hope ICANN is taking these questions
seriously, and not just operating under a flawed assumption that the lowest
bidder can manage such an important function.

Thanks,
Richard Morton