Talk:Evolving ICANN Policy

You begin with a series of questions that include:

• What type of new TLDs to allow (generic vs. sponsored; unchartered vs. chartered; ascii vs. IDN; global vs. territorially based)

I'm a proponent of city-TLDs and had presumed that the interests of the historic entities that protect and support more than half the people on the planet were within the "territorially based."

But halfway through the document, having masterfully organized and disposed of many of the questions you state:

• So there you have it. A surprisingly short list of interests that will be directly affected by any given set of policies on new TLDs that ICANN might come up with and that are not so broad or diffuse or conflicted as to cancel out. All but one “interest” on the list represent specific types of businesses whose interests inherently conflict and that would be differentially affected (favored or disfavored) by any given set of rules.

and

• The next question to be addressed is whether any of these interest should be given more “weight” in our fitness model than any others. From a civic virtue (not a partisan) point of view, the answer seems obvious. The first five are just different ways of making money.

And within those statements the territorially based are forgotten. I've three problems with that.

1. Civic Virtue - City TLDs are predicated on civic virtue. Though TLDs cities will be better able to provide their foundation roles of protecting the populace and promoting health, education, commerce, etc.

2. Profit-making - You indicate that all the remaining interests are profit making. While it might prove profitable for some cities to operate a TLD, profit trails the prime goal of bettering the lot of the city's residents. And should there be a profit, it seems only reasonable that it go toward a universal service fund focused on providing access and training.

3. Reparations - The vitality of cities has been damaged by the globalizing force of the narrow and restrictive DNS policy. Funds should be shifted from developed TLDs, particularly .com and .net, to assist with the creation of city-TLDs and to redress the cultural and commercial damage done to that venerable institution, the city.

Assessing Damage and Determining Recipients - Global cities like Paris, London, and NYC have a powerful call on these funds, as they were probably the most damaged. Alternately, a Cities Reparations Fund could be established to assist with the design and development of city-TLDs. An equitable distribution of benefits might result from a pairer-cities program with one partner a well connected global city, the other a lesser connected regional city.

Thomas Lowenhaupt