[LINK] Re: .asn.au Domain Name Registrations (fwd)

[Craig Sanders]

On Tue, Oct 30, 2001 at 08:32:50AM +0800, Kimberley Heitman wrote:
> Given the potential for abuse of a "non-profit" registry trying to mine
> its database, or the potential for registry failure by relying on
> volunteer staff and donated equipment, [...]

i suspect that the potential for abuse of the registry by for-profit
entities is far greater than the potential for abuse by non-profit
volunteer groups.

we've already seen this kind of abuse with the whois service, and
with "channel partners" of the current .com.au monopoly - the same
channel partners who are eager to become registrars under the new auDA
controlled .au domain.

we haven't seen ANY evidence of this kind of abuse by volunteer
registries such as those run for .org.au and .asn.au and .id.au -
perhaps because the motivation for volunteers is fundamentally
different to the motivation for for-profit companies.


> [...] I have to say that the days of the freebie domain name may be
> over. Once competition is in place, the "wholesale" cost of a domain
> name will be cheap, but not free.

that's a great improvement.  isn't competition wonderful?

> Having said that, it may be that a non-profit registry could survive
> on grants or donations, and waive all charges to end-users. If so,
> swell - but auDA isn't so well funded that waiving auDA licence fees
> and legal costs is one of the options.

i.e. auDA demands tribute no matter what....effectively making it
impossible for volunteers to provide free domain registration service to
non-profits and individuals.

it *was* possible for a skilled volunteer or a well-meaning company to
overlook the negligible administration costs of registering non-profit
domains...but it's impossible to overlook a $15,000 setup fee and $12
per domain per year.


> I don't know necessarily that a wealthy charity has a greater claim to
> a free domain name than a poor small business, but if a

the distinction is whether the domain is to be used by a for-profit or a
non-profit organisation, not how wealthy they are.

non-profit organisations, individuals, community groups, clubs,
associations etc all provide great services to their communities and to
the general public - it's offensive for them to be exploited in this
manner, as if they're just a source of revenue for the domain name
industry (an industry based around the notion that you can charge as
much as you like for nothing as long as you first create an artificial
scarcity).

> plausible way of funding the costs of introducing competition in the
> non-profit domains can be found, I'm all ears.

this may sound like heresy to some, but the basic flaw in this argument
is that it presumes that competition is both necessary and desirable in
the registration of domains for non-profit orgs & individuals.

but is it?  and if it is, then how/why?

in some areas, competition is desirable and necessary but in others it
isn't. "competition" isn't a panacea, and it doesn't always improve
either efficiency or service - in some fields, it is destructive to
both.

there are many groups and individuals here in australia who are more
than willing to donate their time & energy to providing free domain
registration for non-profits.

why force an inefficient, unneccessary, and undesirable "competition"
model when there are so many alternative ways of providing free service
to non-profits?

craig

-- 
craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>

Fabricati Diem, PVNC.
 -- motto of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch