TO WHOM IT MAY Concern:It is curious companies like Neulevel, can dismiss TLD
claims (dot biz) made by Alternate roots, when in fact, it was the Alternate Roots
that gave Neulevel (or was it Neustar, then Neuvel) the opportunity to bid for these
new TLDs. Image Online Design has been at every IANA/ICANN meetings to date.
They fought to open the DNS up. Now that Neulevel got the nod, they now will
step on those that helped them.
If it were my choice, if I had the chance to select
new TLDs, I would have offered the Alternate Roots a chance (if they qualify--that
is important) to upload their TLD to the "A" root. Why? They are the
real heroes in this whole mess. They actually care about what happens to the
internet. Just read through some of the old postings on the message board
where Jon Postel left notes. You will find Chris Ambler's name from Image Online
Design. You will see Simon Higgs name. You won't find the Neulevel or
Afilias executives on any of those message boards. What I am try to say, is
do you honestly think, Neulevel, or Afilias will create new competition??
They
forget people have invested their whole lives trying to build a TLD from the ground
up. They invested hours exchanging emails with other pioneers, trying to help
build the internet. Why on god's green earth wouldn't the ICANN board want
to reward that effort, and more so give the TLD to someone who actually cares what
happens to. I am sure the dot org supporters would have like to have known
the TLD wouldn't be "exchanging" hands in the year 2004 (or whenever it supposed
to happen)
We have heard from Network solutions, and other registries, that the
bottom line is the shareholders. I wonder if they realize that without loyal
domain name holders they will never get anywhere. I wonder in five years where
Neulevel will be? I wonder if Afilias might not let dot info go in few years
time, for a new TLD, that may be more lucrative.
My faith is in Image Online
Design. A company I know that has spent the better part of 5 years building
its registry, into a solid entity.
Go look them up in 5 years. I guarantee
they will still have dot web, and will still have loyal customers. My hope
is ICANN begins to realize that the DNS cannot be about which company will exploit
a TLD better, but rather who the registrants of that TLD who will exploint that TLD
are....At IOD we have some of the best!!! "Sempri Fi" to those who can even
understand those two words..