Re: [ga-roots] Re: ICANN Policy -- revised version

["Milton Mueller" <mueller@syr.edu>]

I think Roessler's interpretation of the statement 
about "competing roots" in the White Paper is
right on target. 

By admonishing the New entity not to encourage 
formation of competing roots, the Commerce Dept at
that time had two things in mind: Jon Postel's
"experiment," which did in fact fragment the root
for a few days, and the possibility that NSI might
break away and form its own root upon the termination
of its NSF/DoC contract. 

By avoiding "competing" roots, what they really meant
was avoiding fragmentation of the root. And contrary 
to what Kent says, that admonition does NOT clearly
lead to a defined policy on alternate roots.

As I have said time and again, one can avoid 
fragmented or competing roots in either of two
ways: 

1) incorporate legitimate and established TLDs from
outside the ICANN root

2) freeze them out and make it clear that ICANN will NEVER connect with them. (If this option is chosen,
one must fervently hope that they never achieve the
critical mass needed to stand on their own. Otherwise,
one will be forced to revert to option 1)

Now, I don't care at this point which of the two
options you like. All I am saying is that no policy
on that matter has emerged from any ICANN process.
And a recent attempt to form a policy was 
deliberately pre-empted by ICANN management.

>>> Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com> 06/16/01 03:28 AM >>>
> Second, you quote the white paper's sentence that "the introduction 
> of a new managmenet system should not disrupt current operations or 
> create competing root systems".  This sentence is indeed listed as a 
> principle to which ICANN should commit.  Thus, it is indeed the 
> cloest thing to a policy on alternative roots which is listed in 
> the entire white paper.
> 
> But what does this sentence really say?  Does it say anything about 
> how ICANN should handle TLDs which are registered in alternative 
> root systems?  No.  

Nonsense.  It gives a clear direction to ICANN that it should not 
encourage the creation of alternate root systems.  And it is crystal 
clear that any recognition of existing alternate root systems would be 
an encouragment for the creation of more.


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