>From the archives:
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http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/domnam/TWB19980611S0009
Magaziner, Lessig Spar Over Domain Name Plan
(06/11/98, 2:46 p.m. ET)
By Mo Krochmal, TechWeb
NEW YORK -- Ira Magaziner, the Clinton administration's point person on
technology, said Wednesday the next few months will tell if the U.S. policy
of letting the Internet self-regulate will work.
Magaziner, who shared a forum with technology pundit Esther Dyson and
Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, said within six months the federal
government will know if private initiatives on Internet domain names are
working. "If not, then we will have to review it again," he said.
Last Friday, the U.S. government released its policy on the regulation of
Internet domain names. In the long-awaited white paper, the government said
it would let Internet stakeholders establish a non-profit agency and a
board of directors to direct registration of top-level domain names such as
.com, .net, and .org.
But Lessig disagreed, saying the implications of creating a special
non-profit agency seems like a substitute for government, but one that does
not have to answer to an electorate.
"This is bizarre for a democracy," said Lessig. "Why not just carve up the
government into private non-profit organizations and be done with it all?
We are creating the most significant jurisdiction since the Louisiana
purchase, and we are building it outside the review of the Constitution."
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(I'd say it's time to review it again ;-)
Respectfully,
Jay Fenello
President, Iperdome, Inc.� 404-943-0524
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What's your .per(sm)? http://www.iperdome.com
