My comment on: Potential Change to Registrar Accreditation Insurance Requirement
ICANN seeks input on the following questions:
1 - Are there valid reasons why ICANN should continue to require CGL
insurance?
I hope not as to me the insurance obligation is too costly.
2 - Has any registrar or gTLD or ccTLD registry found CGL coverage
useful in running their businesses?
I'd ask - has anyone ever claimed on this type of policy with good
cause? Why not make it voluntary?
3 - Are there alternatives to CGL insurance that would provide similar
or better protections for registrants that could be instituted either as
new contractual requirements or as "best practice" recommendations?
Perhaps a general pool policy - that people contribute to according to
number of domains???
4 - If the CGL requirement is maintained, is the $500,000 limit
appropriate?
Nope - way too high.
5 - If ICANN eliminates the CGL requirement, should the elimination
apply to all registrars or should "waivers" be granted only on a
case-by-case basis?
Either - as long as I'm part of the case-by-case waiver group.
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My name is Mark Elkins. I have attended some ICANN Meetings (presented
papers) and a number of staff would know me. I'm also a Board member of
AfriNIC and involved with the local ccTLD registry system in South
Africa. I am involved with the Local and African internet industry, give
talks/presentations, teach DNS - etc.
My primary business is my ISP business where I also do a fair amount of
Hosting services - including Domains. I already register domains via EPP
with the "co.za" system, Central-NIC and a few other African ccTLD's. I
also have domains in the 'generic' space (com/net - etc).
ie - people believe technically competent.
To buy insurance for US$500,000 that covers all territories (inc USA,
Canada and Australia) will cost me around R100,000 (US$10,000) per year.
That is a deal breaker.
If you would like more than the 8 or so ICANN Accredited Registrars in
Africa - there needs to be a change.
In Africa - there are probably about 1.2 million "local" (ie ccTLD)
domains - we have a million of those in South Africa. I've no idea how
many non ccTLD domains there are in Africa - probably less than
400,000 ??? (Please correct me). I don't think there are enough
non-ccTLD domains to justify having more than 10 Registrars?
If the insurance cost was proportional to the number of gTLD domains -
perhaps something like US$1 per domain - then the picture would I
believe change.
I'd love to become an ICANN accredited Registrar.
I use OpenSRS/TuCows and they still don't support DNSSEC!!!
I've been running DNSSEC for about five years..
--
Mark James ELKINS - Posix Systems - (South) Africa
mje@xxxxxxxxxxx Tel: +27.128070590 Cell: +27.826010496
For fast, reliable, low cost Internet in ZA: https://ftth.posix.co.za
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