Bruce Tonkin wrote Wednesday, May 01, 2002 4:12 PM

> The only outstanding issue is whether a registrant can enter
> into a shorter service contract than 2 years.  I think that the
> minimum period should at least be 6 months, and preferably
> 1 month. The names panel chose to fix the period at 2 years,
> but I think this should be reviewed in the context of offering
> more choice, and making it easier to try out a new supplier
> before paying up front for 2 years.

Name Panel Recommendation (3.2)
<www.auda.org.au/docs/auda-name-eligibility-final.html>

The Panel recommended ... that domain name licence renewal periods in the
open 2LDs should be set by auDA.  The Panel considers that the licence
renewal period should be between 1 and 10 years, depending on the nature of
the 2LD.  In the case of the commercial 2LDs com.au and net.au, the renewal
period should be no longer than 2 years.

SETEL Proposal (3.1.2)
<www.auda.org.au/policy/panel-name-2000/submissions/brown.html>

SETEL submission of 27 March 2001 to auDA stated:  SETEL is supportive of
domain name licences being subject to renewal after a range of specified
periods - from one year to say five years.  SETEL does not support a single
period licence, eg 2 years.  SETEL would support:

- a minimum of one year licence period -- this would lower the financial
barrier to Australian small businesses, notably the 750,000
micro-businesses, adopting e-commerce; and

- a range of licence periods enabling registrars to compete on price,
possibly offering discounts for longer period licences (eg for residential
or small business consumers choosing to purchase a five year licence).
There would be a need for safeguards where consumers had pre-paid
registration fees beyond, say, one year.

auDA Board Decision
<www.auda.org.au/about/minutes/board-200105.html>

2. That the Board accepts Recommendation 3.2, that all domain name licences
are subject to a renewal period, to be specified by auDA, or by the relevant
2LD administrator subject to ratification by auDA.

Comment

I can find no reference to the auDA Board having made a decision on any
renewal period.  If the Board has made a decision, I'd be pleased to be
informed of its whereabouts.

Subject to consumer safeguards, a case can be made for a range of domain
name licence (renewal) periods enabling greater price competition and
consumer choice.  These issues were discussed on a number of occasions by
the Name Panel.

To provide for only a two year domain name licence period' under the new
auDA scheme would be to sustain an anti-competitive regulatory rigidity in
the current scheme.


--
Ian Johnston, Policy Consultant
Small Enterprise Telecommunications Centre (SETEL)
www.setel.com.au  mailto:ian.johnston&#167;setel.com.au
02 6258 3409 (B/F)  02 6259 7777 (B)  0413 990 112 (M)

SETEL is a national small business consumer association
advancing the interest of Australian small business
as telecommunications and e-commerce consumers