Re: data request on Sitefinder

[Owen DeLong <owen () delong com>]

--On Tuesday, October 21, 2003 10:03:09 AM -0500 Jack Bates 
<jbates () brightok net> wrote:

> Owen DeLong wrote:
> > The issues that must be addressed are the issues of internet governance,
> > control of the root (does Verisign serve ICANN or vice-versa), and
> > finally, whether the .com/.net zones belong to the public trust or to
> > Verisign.  Focusing on the technical is to fiddle while Rome burns.
>
> This is the part that drives me nuts. Unless a court ordered it
> otherwise, the root servers can designate ANYONE as the registry for a
> tld. My understanding is that the process for making such changes is
> lengthy and involves the agreement of 3 different organizations. However,
> on a technical level, such changes are possible, and such a registry can
> form agreements with ICANN and the various registrars.
>
> I'm suddenly reminded of .org...
I can't tell if you are:
        1.      Agreeing
        2.      Disagreeing
        3.      Making a tangential point to what I said.

I agree that technically, designating a new registry for .com/.net and 
transferring
the existing zone file to that registry is a simple matter.  However, 
transferring
the other metadata associated with the registry function and getting the 
registrars
all cooperating with the new registry is a bit more involved.  If this is 
not done
in advance of the root switch, there are stability issues involved.  If 
this is not
done proactively by ICANN, then the probability of a successful and smooth 
transition
drops dramatically.  Getting registrars, a new registry, and the root 
servers to
do ICANNs bidding is probably relatively simple.  Having those decisions 
survive the
legal and lobbying-based challenge that will surely come from Verisign as a 
result
is a bit harder (Verisign will claim it has rights to continue until the 
end of it's
contract and, I suspect, will not simply accept ICANN paying out the 
remainder of
Verisigns contract, even if they could).  Getting this to occur without the 
involvement
and cooperation of ICANN will be virtually impossible because of the 
loyalty divisions.
Further, it will make it much easier for Verisign to get injunctions 
preventing the
root server operators from switching to an alternative registry (or 
reversing such
action).

I will remind you that .org was done proactively by ICANN with the 
cooperation of
Verisign and that ICANN made concessions to Verisign to get them to 
cooperate on the
.org transition.

Owen