network solutions to have monopoly on registry database?

[Steve Doty <sdoty@jaxx.net>]

 I have concerns about the appointment of NSI (network solutions) as
caretaker of the shared domain registry system. Is this just another way
for NSI to keep its government sanctioned monopoly?
 I think it is plain to see that NSI has problems already with keeping
the domain registries correct. I see message after message from people
stating problems with whois and domain/host update requests. How can we
as a internet public trust NSI to keep the registry up and functional,
when time after time we have seen the incompetence from the staff at
NSI.  I thought the internet public would have a say in this new
registrar system? Or is it going to be controlled by big companies that
are more concerned with how there stock is doing? Or from non-profit
organization that are more worried about how to pay there salary's or
who will be on there boards?
 I understand that NSI has more knowledge about the domain registries
than anyone. But didn't the NSF (national science foundation) and DoC
(Department of Commerce) fund the technology that is used at NSI? How
can NSI charge new registrars $10,000 for software from technology they
did not develop as a privately owned company?
 I have read both the green and white paper and in the white paper
objections were stated about the NSI agreement. Why was a non-profit
organization not formed before the registrar test bed was started to
take over the administration of the main root server and registry
database?
 
Here is what was stated in the white paper from the internet public. 

"Comments: Many commenters expressed concern about continued
administration of key
gTLDs by NSI. They argued that this would give NSI an unfair advantage
in the
marketplace and allow NSI to leverage economies of scale across their
gTLD
operations. Some commenters also believe the Green Paper approach would
have
entrenched and institutionalized NSI's dominant market position over the
key domain
name going forward. Further, many commenters expressed doubt that a
level playing
field between NSI and the new registry market entrants could emerge if
NSI retained
control over .com, .net, and .org. "

"Response: The cooperative agreement between NSI and the U.S. Government
is
currently in its ramp down period. The U.S. Government and NSI will
shortly commence
discussions about the terms and conditions governing the ramp-down of
the cooperative
agreement. Through these discussions, the U.S. Government expects NSI to
agree to
take specific actions, including commitments as to pricing and equal
access, designed to
permit the development of competition in domain name registration and to
approximate
what would be expected in the presence of marketplace competition. The
U.S.
Government expects NSI to agree to act in a manner consistent with this
policy
statement, including recognizing the role of the new corporation to
establish and
implement DNS policy and to establish terms (including licensing terms)
applicable to
new and existing gTLD registries under which registries, registrars and
gTLDs are
permitted to operate. Further, the U.S. Government expects NSI to agree
to make
available on an ongoing basis appropriate databases, software,
documentation thereof,
technical expertise, and other intellectual property for DNS management
and shared
registration of domain names. "

 I guess the "ramp down" period is going to be indefinite. 
 I am very interested in what the new registrars will have to say about
the new shared registry system after the test bed is over.

IMHO,
Steve Doty
Jaxx Communication