[governance] Re: Alternative DNS systems and net neutrality

[Dan Krimm]

At 6:19 PM -0800 11/19/07, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:
>Dan Krimm [19/11/07 14:11 -0800]:
>>Then I assume you do not dispute my point that the DNS is currently not
>>"working" well in a *political* sense, and thus it would be good to
>>consider options to improve it.  And in fact alternative roots might well
>
>Do me a favor. Come up with politically acceptable AND technically
>acceptable recommendations - it would be great if these recommendations are
>also calculated to scale and extend to the extent that DNS currently
>extends.
>
>That might be a more productive stage and time to rehash this discussion.


I'm a public policy professional, with some experience in technical
organizations and an ability to understand technical details when explained
in a well-defined manner, but I am not a technical architect and have never
claimed to be.

The point here is not to preempt the political issues by placing technical
criteria above all else.  The political discussion must frame the technical
discussion if the technical discussion is ultimately to address the
important and inevitable political issues of the information society.

If the technical status quo is not politically acceptable, as many argue,
then one must discuss the politics now, and let that drive the technical
explorations.  There is no reason to delay the political discussion,
because in some sense it must precede the technical discussion, in order to
frame and define its mission and values.  It might even get more technical
experts working on alternative root options, to help come up with a win-win
solution -- that is, bring that endeavor into the technical mainstream
instead of cordoning it off into a ghetto.

It would be unproductive to avoid the political issues at any point in this
discussion.  They should be kept in mind all along the way.  Forgetting
that would create a political disaster.

Dan

PS -- I don't know if Alternative DNS is necessary to solve the political
problems.  It may be that institutional change can solve the political
problems under the current private technological monopoly.  (In public
governance, monopolies can exist productively if they are explicitly and
thoughtfully regulated in the public interest.)  Ultimately I don't really
care what the technical solution is as long as the political issues, such
as net neutrality and core neutrality, are addressed productively.
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