James Love wrote: > > ICANN has posted new information (15 August 2000) regarding new TLD > applicaitons. > > Among the many interesting Criteria are what appears to be a highly > anticompetitive requirement. > > 1. The need to maintain the Internet's stability. > > ICANN's first priority is to preserve the stability > of the Internet, including the domain-name system (DNS). > Proposals should demonstrate specific and well-thought-out > plans, backed by ample, firmly committed resources, to > operate in a manner that preserves the Internet's > continuing stability. The introduction of the proposed > TLD should not disrupt current operations, nor should it > create alternate root systems, which threaten the existence > of a globally unique public name space. > > The idea that ICANN would explicitly seek to outlaw alternative root > systems is surprising, because ICANN so far has downplayed its monopoly > power over the Internet by mentioning that others could set up different > root systems. Actually, there's nothing surprising at all about this development. Alternatives to the ICANN root are the principle threat to ICANN's power. Even if ICANN has mentioned the possibility of alternative root systems, it never seriously entertained any such idea. Sooner or later ICANN was bound to make rules about root servers. Since the operation of new gTLDs is the weak point in ICANN/NSI's monopoly, both because they are a threat to NSI's (and therefore ICANN's) revenues and because the new TLD registries could become the birthplace of alternative root systems, ICANN has naturally come to the realization that the new TLDs cannot be allowed to be run independently or, horror of horrors (for ICANN), in cooperation with the already-existing alternative root server operations. For example, none of name.space's TLDs will be accepted by ICANN for the simple reason that they are served by a proprietary root system functioning independently of NSI's root zone. The same goes for IOD's .web, if IOD were to insist that it be set it up in conjunction with the ORSC root server system. And of course this applies equally to .union or any other new gTLD. These rules, so necessary for the continuation of ICANN/NSI's monopoly of the Internet's TLD zone, make of all TLDs - existing gTLDs, ccTLDs, and new gTLDs (including chartered ones) - nothing more than aliases of .com, which .org and .net have already become. This is why I proposed, to the Small Business Administration, the IFWP, this list, and the existing alternative root server systems, that everyone interested in new TLDs get together in a conference to discuss the implementation, organization, and future of alternative internet identification methodologies. Given the ability of ICANN to enforce within its name space - via the UDRP or a more restrictive successor to it - the prevailing rules of SLD registration, there can be no freedom of choice in that space. Not only the trademark associations but the U.S. security agencies will oblige ICANN to maintain and increase its control over domain name allocation, which is destined to quickly become even more restrictive than it is now, so that eventually it will be equivalent to frequency allocation in the radio spectrum. Anyone who thinks that ICANN, NSI, and the DOC are going to allow unrestricted digital communication within a name space that they control is living in a dream, or rather a nightmare. Nothing can be done in the context of the USG's ICANN-controlled Internet to preserve freedom. Eventually, the root will be split from outside the U.S., when other countries become tired of having their communications manipulated. If the .union people, or whoever else is proposing a chartered TLD for non-commercial use, are content to have their communications controlled by ICANN and the USG, they can accept being a part of the ICANN root and running an alias server for NSI. If they want to control their own communications, they will have to create or join an alternative root. ============================================================ Michael Sondow I.C.I.I.U. http://www.iciiu.org Tel. (718)846-7482 Fax: (603)754-8927 ============================================================
