On Sun, May 31, 1998 at 10:35:07AM -0500, Jim Fleming wrote:
> I am not sure that governments are the real problem.
> The problem may be that "governments" have not been
> informed about what is going on. When they find out,
> they are not happy and the local people are not happy...
> 
> This could be like someone driving around in a car that
> just happens to "look" like a police car. When asked about
> where the person obtained the permission to decorate
> their car in that manner, they might claim..."the IANA".
> When asked where the IANA obtained that authority,
> the answer might be...the U.S. Government of course...
> that seems to make everything OK...in third-world***
> Internet countries people have not bothered to ask,
> "who is the IANA ?".
> 
> It is OK until people now claim that the IANA has no
> U.S. Government relationship...once people start down
> that slippery slope then the questions eventually get
> asked about where the authority came from...for some
> of the 2-letter TLD delegates...they have no answer...
> this is not a good situation...
> 

The .CC domain is interesting. I tried to contact "Island Internet 
Services" at their Cocos (Keeling) Island address. Telstra Directory
assistance didn't have a listed number for them, nor could they
locate "Telecom House". 

>From descriptions of the place from last year, it didn't quite sound 
like it had the economy for commercial internet.

There's an "Island Internet Services" (island.net.au) in Sydney, but
it doesn't appear to be the same one whose voice mail you reach when
you call the CC24-DOM Admin contacts phone number.

I'll pass on this information to the Dept of Transport and Regional 
Development who recently acquired Territories and Local Government.
If I'm lucky they'll know what a internet domain is.

tom§interact.net.au