USPS taking over .US?
From: Richard J. Sexton (richard@ns1.vrx.net)
Subject: USPS to take over .US ?
This is the only article in this thread
View: Original Format
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains
Date: 1999/08/04
If you don't want the NTIA to hand over .US to the USPS
then send something similar to the below to Peter before
5 today. Or just endore the DNRC position. Either way,
send mail to Peter today.
As a Canadian, I don't care, the only reaosn I post this
is things are happening and I suspect a lot of people are unaware
of whats going on.
To: "Uhlmann, Peter"
From: Mikki Barry
Subject: DNRC on the .US TLD
August 4, 1999
Dear Peter:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide input to your office regarding the
.US top level domain. The Domain Name Rights Coalition is very concerned
with the disposition of the .US domain name, and has been closely following
various proposals. We strongly object to any attempt by NTIA to place the
.US TLD under the US Postal Service or any other entity that relies upon
static physical addresses for the following reasons:
* The Commerce Department is not the entity that should be deciding
aspects of Internet governance. The Internet is a medium of communication
of which commerce is but a subset. The vast majority of communications on
the Internet are non commercial. For this reason alone, NTIA should have
no authority to mandate its governance.
* The .US TLD offers the unprecedented opportunity to establish domain
name space ruled by American ideals and rights. The rights to free speech
and expression in choice of domain names, uninhibited by reverse hijacking
or unsubstantiated threats of infringement suits could create an incubator
of sorts for individual and small business interests. Cherished First
Amendment rights controlled by the US for all US citizens would assist
communication, and aid those who want domain names like "pokey.us" or
"veronica.us."
* The .US TLD has suffered from atrophy precisely because the domain names
were assigned based on physical address. It became almost impossible to
use the unweildy domain names, even for government, because they were non
intuitive and difficult to remember. This problem is compounded for
individual and small business users who may change physical address every
few years. They would essentially lose any goodwill or identity that was
centered around their web address, email address, FTP server, etc. since it
would change upon their moving from a certain city, county, or state.
* The US Postal Service does not have the expertise (either technical or
policy wise) to run a top level domain of the potential popularity of the
.US TLD. Physical mail is not analagous to electronic communication. The
USPS does not have the infrastructure, or the engineering talent necessary
to build and maintain a database, generate domain name service, create a
directory structures, or run a root zone. Perhaps a confederation of
technical and public interest groups with oversight provided by an
interagency task force, would be a far better answer than turning such a
vast public resource over to the US Postal Service.
Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Mikki Barry
President
DNRC
--
Richard Sexton | richard@tangled.web | http://dns.vrx.net/tech/rootzone
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