selection of new TLDs

["A.J. Horner" <ahorner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We would like to urge ICANN to move as quickly as possible to approve the
.travel TLD and express our support for the implementation of a restricted
TLD like that proposed by Tralliance.

Writing from the perspective of a company that develops software for the
travel industry, we believe it is imperative that ICANN take action to help
solve those issues that undermine e-commerce, particularly legitimate
businesses being inundated with SPAM. Non-travel companies that fill the
internet system with SPAM diminish our ability to conduct
business-to-business and business-to-customer commerce. In addition,
organizations that operate outside the ICANN structure, like New.net,
continue to assign .travel TLDs to both travel and non-travel companies,
completely undermining the concept of a restricted TLD. The approach
proposed by Tralliance of developing a restricted TLD and travel search
engine would be the first step in addressing a problem that plagues our
industry.

As the world becomes smaller, opportunities for one company to conduct
business with another outside its traditional relationships are opening up
more and more. The question is ?how do we know we are dealing with someone
we can trust?? A restricted .travel TLD is a way to help ensure the company
you are doing business with has met a uniform set of criteria and
standards. It becomes shorthand for knowing you are doing business with an
actual, legitimate company. It also helps open up consumer and
business-to-business markets to legitimate, smaller business that may not
have the marketing budgets of larger companies.

The longer ICANN and the travel industry take to address issues like SPAM
and company verification, the more entrenched and complicated these issues
become. That is why we urge ICANN to hold firm to its current timeline and
act without further delay in granting the .travel TLD.

Sincerely,

A.J. Horner
Partner
TENorMORE, LLC