In a move that may be very significant to the future of Internet Domain Name Name administration, a serious challenge has been thrown at ICANN. Presently, ICANN administers the Domain Names through its DNS system and accredited Registrars.

Breaking the earlier monopoly of Network Solutions Inc, today there are more than 140 registrars for the gTLDs- .com/.net/.org/(70 accredited and fully operational 70 accredited but not operational 12 under process) and 244 registrars for the ccTLDs. Besides, registrars are to be appointed for the 7 newly approved gTLDs-.info/biz/.name/.aero/.museum/.coop/.pro 
ICANN being a  US Government sponsored organisation has been looked at with some distrust by others. Even the recent democratisation attempt with ATLarge membership and election of a Board of Directors through a voting process from the community,  has not removed this perception.

At last week's ICANN meetings in California, the country code chiefs formed a working group to explore the option of taking the name business beyond its control. 

The managers, who represent the .de, .uk etc domains, unanimously voted to look at three alternatives to ICANN's current proposals for managing country codes. And one of those options involves,  taking several million current, and several billion potential Internet users out of today's DNS system. It is surmised that a number of gTLD registrars are also supportive of this move.

It appears that the popularity of the Internet and its economic significance is drawing the "Non Cyber Society Politics" into the "Cyber Society" as well. The ccTLD managers supported by the geographical country administrators may be serving their political bosses by usurping the control on Domain Names from out of the "Global Community" of Netizens created by the existing Internet system. It may help them in controlling the "Name Space" more stringently. They can impose Trade Mark Rights and Censorship rights as they wish. The move therefore is expected to receive the support of the administrators and may be carried through unless broad minded Netizen Community leaders are able to raise beyond the immediate "Power" politics and look at the long term benefit to the community.
In the process, if ICANN has any limitations, it is possible to discuss it within the constitution of ICANN and sort it out. Breaking away may be an exciting idea but may ultimately be "Self Destructive".
Let's not forget "United we stand, divided we fall".. of course, I am talking of the Netizens. 
The "Power centers" will always have the opposite dictum, "Divided we grow strong, United we grow weaker".

Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that the utopian dream of a "One Global Internet Society" can linger on for some more time.
 
Naavi
November 30, 2000

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