IP: Domain name hearings cybercast on Sep. 25th and Sep. 30th.

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 09:42:22 -0400
To: farber () central cis upenn edu
From: Jonah Seiger <jseiger () cdt org>
Subject: EVENT: Domain name hearings cybercast on Sep. 25th and Sep. 30th.


Thought you and the IP list would want to see this...


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                         Government Without Walls
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Update No.13              http://www.democracy.net/           Sep 21 1997
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Table of Contents


 - Hearings on the domain name system in the House Science committee
   scheduled for September 25th and 30th.
 - About democracy.net
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TWO HEARINGS ON DOMAIN NAMES IN THE HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE
COMING THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 25 AND TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30


Domain names, like "democracy.net", "netscape.com", and "feedmag.com"
are the virtual front porches, store fronts, and signposts of
cyberspace.  They are also the most visible part of a complex Internet
infrastructure that most users never come in contact with, but none
the less vital to the functioning of the network.


As a result, issues surrounding the future of the domain name
infrastructure are inextricably linked to the future of the medium.


As the Internet enters its final stages in the transition between a
government supported research tool to a privatized commercially driven
medium, important questions are being raised about how the infrastructure
will be governed.  At its core is the controversy surrounding the domain
name system.


Will it become harder to acquire your own domain?  Who will own the
ongoing domain name fees that the current domain name owners pay?  Will
the method of arbitrating disputes over domain name ownership change?
Will a competitive market create a more stable infrastructure or one
even less stable than we depend upon now?


The Subcommittee on Basic Research in the House Science Committee will
explore these and other issues during a two part hearing on September
25 and 30th. The Committee has arranged for the hearings to be
cybercast live via democracy.net -- a joint project of the Center for
Democracy and Technology and the Voters Telecommunications watch to
encourage citizen participation in the democratic process.


The purpose of these hearings is to review the history and current status
of the domain name system, the relationship between the National
Science Foundation (NSF) and Network Solutions Incorporated (NSI),
NSF's role in the transition of the domain name system to private
sector control at the termination of the cooperative agreement with NSI
in March 1998, alternative proposals from within the Internet
Community, and the role of the Federal government in the future of the
Domain Name System.


We urge you to be a part of this debate by reading up on the issues
surrounding the domain name system, and then participating in the two
hearings in the House Science Committee on September 25th and 30th.  As
usual, you'll be able to watch and listen to these events in real time
with RealAudio and still video, chat with other Internet users, and
submit your own input to the committee for consideration.


  WHEN:   10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 25, 1997 (7:00am Pacific)
  WHERE:  2318 Rayburn House Office Building or http://www.democracy.net/
  WHO:
      Witness List:
      -Dr. Joseph Bordogna, Acting Deputy Director, National Science
       Foundation, Arlington, VA
      -The Honorable Larry Irving, Assistant Secretary for Communication
       and Information, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC
      -Dr. Jonathan B. Postel, Director, Computer Networks Division,
       Marina del Rey, CA
      -Mr. Gabriel A. Battista, Chief Executive Office, Network Solutions
       Incorporated, Herndon, VA


The second hearing will take place on Tuesday Sep 30, 1997 at 10:00am
(Eastern).  Watch http://www.democracy.net for details.


You will need RealAudio and a telnet application to access this event.
Although we will not have a live audio-to-text transcription service
available for deaf participants, we will endeavor to have one made after
the hearing.  If you know of any pro-bono stenographers, please let
contact us at webmaster () democracy net.


___________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT DEMOCRACY.NET


democracy.net is a joint project of the Center for Democracy and
Technology (CDT) and the Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW) to explore
ways of enhancing citizen participation in the democratic process via
the Internet.


To this end, democracy.net will host live, interactive cybercasts of
Congressional Hearings and online town hall meetings with key policy makers.


democracy.net is made possible through the generous support of
WebActive, Public Access Networks, theSync, and Democracy Network.
More information about the project and its sponsors can be found at
http://www.democracy.net/about/


To receive democracy.net announcements automatically, please visit our
signup form at http://www.democracy.net/   To stop receiving these
announcements, please send email to majordomo () democracy net with
"unsubscribe events" in the body of the message.
_________________________________________________________________________
end update no.13                                                 09/21/97
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