Hi,

I can't figure out why I should get excited about this.  As a general
public, small business person, who has been forced to get involved in this
"digital terrorism" masquerading as domain name policy over something called
the .au domain space, I find it difficult to remain relatively positive and
constructive.  The whole process seems counter intuitive.

My view is that the ACCC should actually formally investigate the possible
anti-competitive nature of the auDA concept of the .au domain space.  In my
view, and I could be wrong, there is some sort of anti-competitive monopoly
given to auDA by someone over a public facility that happens to end in an
address .au.  As au is the offical abbreviation for Australia, then
obviously there must be some significance in the period.  Neither Australia
Post, nor any other courier type company, has a general monopoly over the
carriage of correspondence to a person or business whose address happens to
end in Australia or the official abbreviation au (I have actually had post
mail sent with au as the country and it arrived without a hitch).  If anyone
wanted to set up a company to deliver mail (including their own mail box
system), I don't believe they have to get a license that entitles them to
deliver articles to an Australian (au) address.  So, why should anyone have
to get permission to set up a mail service to send mail to an electronic
address that ends in .au?  Why can't we have a system whereby anyone who
wants to set up a mail service can, and we use a simple address format
exactly like we have now for a letter, or a telegram in the olden days.

For example, say I wanted to set up a mail service that offered a specific
service, why can't I set up a router address (e.g. lpl.au) and my customers
would simply have an address xxx§lpl.au and I would redriect the  mail after
providing the value adding service.  Or, maybe xxx§usmail, or even
xxx§apo.au (for Australia Post).  As this would be a business enterprise it
is linked to existing ASIC records and rules.  By extension, a domain name
in one of the public routers (e.g. .com) a company would link this to its
company name, again within the ASIC framework.  All fees, etc are just
caught up in the annual fee to ASIC.

In this process, the need for auDA disappears and all of the jostling of how
to make a buck out of small companies like me go away.

Never have I seen anyone actually ask what us poor pleb customers might
actually want out of a system. I see lots of stuff about what some fairly
narrow interested folks have done and still want to do and lots of emotion
over minutia.

Generally, I believe the expectations are quite simple.

Mail can actually be addressed to your company and not some name that is at
the whim (without justification) of some inane and self-interested policy
that has not necessarily been implemented with rigour.  Under this approach
people could actually use a structured ordinary address such as
adrian.stephan§pob.5068.3149.au and it would arrive.  Why can't this be
done?  Is it because auDA has not worked out how to charge for it?  Or, is
it actually anti-competitive that, say, Australia Post because they have the
post office box system cannot do this because of some rules within auDA or
the legislation.  The same logic applies to Document Exchange.  This could
be xxx.yyy§nnnnn.dx.au.  Imagine the uproar the Government would have if
Australia Post decided not to deliver mail to addresses, people or
organisations because it didn't like the words even though the name was
lawfully approved and/or of good social status.  In fact, it seems to me
that Australia Post offers an agile delivery address protocol that the auDA
process will never attain.  If Australia Post was allowed to use its agile
delivery protocols in the  electronic au address, auDA would be wiped out.
It is a matter of culture, and quite frankly, based on experience the
internet folks are trying to impose a circa 1500 word culture. The culture
is dysfunctional for what is needed in the market place.

I would actually like to use a mail router identifier that clearly
identified I was dealing with a provider that had processes that would deal
with mail that did not meet pre-defined criteria (e.g. xxxx, virus, spam,
etc)and protected the integrity that I try to stand for, as hard as it is.
These processes are about but they seem to be disjointed, asynchronous and
do not provide the one stop shop for integrity protection that I am looking
for.  That is, I am prepared to pay for a service that "gatekeeps" my
electronic mail. I am not interested in some complex process, I want it very
simple.  I want to set filters that unless the mail is bona fide and
addressed xxx.yyy§lpl.au it doesn't get delivered to me.  Is this available
but has not been promulgated to us mere mortals!

The most important feature I am looking for is a process that protects the
identity of the entity.  The current process does not do that, in fact it is
actually going to put my company name up for auction.  How can I protect the
integrity of my company identity when the digital terrorists don't give a
stuff about anyone else's identity except how they jostle to screw a few
bucks out of me each year.  How can this system actually comply with the
OECD requirements for idnetity protection when auDA policy is openly
chucking out the idea of being able to use your exact company name as a
domain name?  I want to know who I am dealing with by company name and I
want people to find me by company name.  Maybe, the OECD should come and
audit the policy as well.

I am prepared to pay more for a better service.  I don't want some el cheapo
deal that means I have to deal with a lot of unwanted mail or denies me the
expectation to use my company name as a domain name.  I shouldn't have to
beg like a mongrel dog for my company name as my domain name, nor should I
have to bid for something that others have not had to do so.  No one has
ever been able to explain to me when I cannot use my company name to
identify my company, in fact most laws requires anyone to do so.  So, what
makes the internet so special that it can deny what is logical to everyone
else except the "chosen ones"?

The whole process needs to reinvent itself or it will self-destruct with the
current recursive "group think".

I still can't get excited about the approval as suggested, because I think
the current process is inherently anti-competitive.

Could be wrong though and maybe I don't understand something fundamental.

Rgds

Adrian

===========================================
Adrian Stephan (Managing Director)
Logistics Pty Ltd
POB 5068
PINEWOOD  VIC  3149
Ph: +61 (0)3 9888 2366 Fx: +61 (0)3 9888 2377
akstephan§ozemail.com.au
adrian.stephan§logistic.com.au
www.logistic.com.au
===========================================


-----Original Message-----
From: David G Thompson [mailto:davidgthompson§yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, 13 December 2001 16:16 PM
To: au DNS List
Subject: [DNS] The Pending Introduction of .au DN Competiton


Hi all,

I'm rather surprised that one or more of this
list's subscribers hasn't found the time to send
a bouquet (as opposed to the more common
brickbats) to the list congratulating auDA and
more specifically auDA hardworking Executive
congratulating them on the announcement of the
contract on foot with RegistrarsAsia Australian
subsidiary.

If the number of e-mails to this list in the past
few years bemoaning the monopoly status of
.com.au (not to mention .net.au, org.au et al)
were printed out and lined up, they would stretch
from Queen St Melbourne to Faraday St Carlton and
most probably head up St Georges Road for some
considerable distance.

Conpicious in their silence are the holder(s) of
the IP associated with Goodmedia <smiles>. BTW I
have no shares in Goonmedia.

List members might want to spend a small amount
of time considering how much sweat and toil has
gone into making this happen.

I am happy to pipe up and state the bleedingly
obvious. Congratulations auDA and particularly
Chris Disspain and Jo Lim.

This is a great .au DNS occaison. Australian DN
holders will no doubt reap the benefits of this
decision in the years henceforth.

From the MV Ca Hottub



DGT

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