Yes, to answer your question below, we *are* seeking input on these
questions, to [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Though I can tell you right
now that customers of other registrars do not automatically revert to NSI if
their registrar goes out of business. As a registrar, NSI had no special
privileges/rights.) Thanks for a useful list!
Esther
At 10:06 PM 08/02/99 -0800, William X. Walsh wrote:
>
>On 09-Feb-99 Michael Sondow wrote:
>> The preface to the recently published ICANN registry accreditation
>> guidelines includes the following about money:
>>
>> "NSI will be required to provide equal access to registry services through
>> the shared registration system to all accredited registrars (including
>> itself) at prices to be agreed upon by the U.S. Government and NSI under the
>> terms of the cooperative agreement."
>>
>> "ICANN is seeking public comment on... a proposed fee structure based on an
>> initial accreditation fee and ongoing charges on registration volume."
>>
>> Since all these fees and costs will be payed for by the users, an Internet
>> user and domain name holder who does not use the Internet for profit would
>> like to ask: Just how expensive are domain names going to become?
>
>Well, that will depend on the registries, and whether they charge the $35/yr
>that NSI charges, or whether they pass it along at cost, and do collateral
>marketing of other services.
>
>I don't see this as a question that ICANN answer, or indeed has any place being
>involved in.
>
>They only need to address what the whole sale cost of domain names should be to
>the registrars, and what volume discount table should be applied to the
>registrars.
>
>What do you think is fair?
>
>Here is a suggestion from me, that leaves a lot of leeway for competing
>registries to charge less than NSI :
>
>1 to 100 names in a calendar year- $25/yr (this volume is trivial, and should
>not get a significant benefit).
>
>101 to 500 names in a calendar year - $20/yr
>
>501 to 2500 names in a calendar year - $17/yr
>
>2501 + names in a calendar year - $15/yr
>
>However, I don't think these are the important issues.
>
>There are many questions that need to addressed regarding the registrar
>contracts.
>
>What happens to a registrar's customers should the registrar lose
>their status, or go out of business?
>
>Do those customers revert to NSI, or are their allowed to select another
>registrar?
>
>Do they have to pay an additional fee at that time, or will the fee they paid
>to the prior registrar be honored?
>
>Who will arbitrate in the even of a dispute between the registrant, the
>registrar, and NSI in the event of this type of a dispute, or similar one?
>
>Will users of these registrars be blocked from being their own "registrar" by
>using Internic forms themselves, as Worldnic currently blocks their customers
>from doing, thus locking them into that registrar's service?
>
>Who will set the policies and terms? Will the registrars be bound by NSI's
>flawed Dispute Policy? (that violates the spirit of RFC1591 BTW :)
>
>Will registrars be permitted to register names and collect for single years
>upfront(and pay NSI for only one year upfront), or will they be required to
>continue NSI's practice of billing two years in advance for all new names?
>
>Is ICANN seeking input on these types of questions?
>
>----------------------------------
>E-Mail: William X. Walsh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: 08-Feb-99
>Time: 21:55:24
>----------------------------------
>"We may well be on our way to a society overrun by hordes
>of lawyers, hungry as locusts."
>- Chief Justice Warren Burger, US Supreme Court, 1977
>
Esther Dyson Always make new mistakes!
chairman, EDventure Holdings
interim chairman, Internet Corp. for Assigned Names & Numbers
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
1 (212) 924-8800
1 (212) 924-0240 fax
104 Fifth Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets; 20th floor)
New York, NY 10011 USA
http://www.edventure.com
PC Forum: 21 to 24 March 1999, Scottsdale (Phoenix), Arizona
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Book: "Release 2.0: A design for living in the digital age"
