I can tell you this...

There is no way that this is going to happen as long as MIT or auDA is
involved

KB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Aristedes Maniatis" <ari&#167;ish.com.au>
To: <dns&#167;auda.org.au>
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 8:05 PM
Subject: [DNS] .au space proposal


> In my response to the World Court article I started thinking about what
> could really be done. I have a proposal:
>
>
> * complete opening of .com.au to all names. The time has now passed to
even
> pretend common words are restricted.
>
> * a new domain space (perhaps firm.au?) which embodies the goal of
.com.au.
> All Australian businesses are allocated space within this domain strictly
in
> accordance with their business name.
>
>   - State registered businesses are given businessname.nsw.firm.au
>   - Companies, etc are given companyname.firm.au
>
> There is no chance of collision.
>
> * Domain registration is free and automatic. Yes!
>
> * The government would meet the cost of running the registrar. I would
> imagine this could be kept low given the lack of disputes, no accounts and
> links to existing government databases. I'd make a stab at the cost of
under
> a dollar per name, given that Network Associates (VeriSign) charges about
$5
> per .com name in the US and makes a large fortune.
>
> * It must be tied in closely with the Department of Fair Trading (or
whoever
> registers business names in each state) and the Aust Securities Commission
> (companies), and other relevant bodies. Also ties would need to be made to
> information from the WhitePages. But isn't all that publicly owned
> information already?
>
> * The government gets big political kudos. "Every business in Australia is
> being equipped for the technology age.". "We are launching the new
> information age for everyone." etc.
>
> * More costly but very doable: every domain gets a free page served out of
a
> database with basic business information. Name, address, phone, business
> type. Perhaps just that collected by ASC or the department registering
> business names. Perhaps a little more if information can be easily
collected
> at the time of business registration.
>
> * Of course, each business has the option to point the domain (including
the
> subdomains such as www.) to any servers. They would not create new web
pages
> in the majority of circumstances but simply link into their existing
> (www.business.com.au or whatever) site. Other subdomains (ftp., mail.,
etc.
> could be available free or at a small charge).
>
> * It becomes easy for the average user to understand that typing:
>
> maggies-thai.nsw.firm.au
>
> gets you the nice thai restaurant down the end of the street that you
can't
> remember the phone/address/whatever of. Perhaps they have a home delivery
> web page, but at the least you know you'll get their registered business
> address and maybe phone.
>
> * More costly again, this concept could be extended to a .name.au domain
> space for individuals. I haven't even begun to think about the problems
this
> would entail. ari.maniatis.darghan.glebe.nsw.name.au ?????
>
>
> I certainly would not entrust the creation of such a system to private
> enterprise (even if there was money in it). There are reasons we have
> governments to create useful infrastructure, where profit is secondary to
> utility. I fear that the recent ICANN domains are more about profit
> possibility than utility.
>
>
> We certainly need faster action by AuDa than this 12 month committee
> decision making process...
>
> My $0.03. Flame away.
>
>
> Ari Maniatis
>
> -------------------------->
> ish group pty ltd
> 7 Darghan St Glebe 2037 Australia
> phone +61 2 9660 1400   fax +61 2 9660 7400
> email info&#167;ish.com.au
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>
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