registries Greater secrecy at Nominet

[NigelD]

Worrying report on theregister.co.uk about nominet's decision to stop publishing minutes of its meetings. This has led to one of the good guys of the uk domain market to set up a website reports.org.uk highlighting this change.

Problem with nominet is that the grassroots members can do very little to keep them in check, and this latest change, if it is allowed to stand, will make that even more difficult. Salaries and pay at nominet have soared in recent times and they are using the .co.uk cash cow to further their interests including risky new gtld ventures - no doubt also subsidised by uk domain owners. And remember a few years back when they tried to introduce the shorter .uk domain at £20 a year (and auctions) until the furore from overlooked .co.uk owners stopped them in their tracks - but not before questions were asked in Parliament. Even so nominet has recently increased .uk prices by 50% and in 2019 domain owners will have to double up on their costs as they'll be forced to take up the .uk or lose it - in effect a 300% increase in domain costs since 2014. And I have no doubt nominet will want to squeeze this cash cow a little more.

So it begs the question - why would a non profit organisation, set up for the benefit of it's members, want greater secrecy? Answers please.

 

[Kate]

Let me the first to coin the word 'icannization'

 

[drakeholm]

in my experience they can conceal the material and scope of conversations.
Later they can "reconstitute" the minutes to show all kinds of stuff that "happened".

 

[cooljub]

This is a dangerous and growing problem with 'administrations' that we seem to be apathetically sleepwalking into. Not to get too political, but they take their lead from 'higher powers'. This is not dissimilar to what happens at the EU, where the real power, including the power to legislate, is not with the parliament, but with unelected EU 'officials' who debate their laws in secret, and no-one is allowed to hear or read their deliberations.

 

[carob]

Let me the first to coin the word 'icannization'

It's icannonical behaviour.

Not-for-profit groups turning themselves into self-serving corporations? Not unusual, just here people depend on them for uk domains so they really need more public control.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/26/great_british_domain_name_ripoff/

UK domain name holders are being overcharged while the company behind it wins contracts by undercutting the market in what may be illegal market abuse.

In recent months, Nominet has signed a number of contracts with commercial operators of dozens of internet extensions ranging from .boston to .vodka. More deals are in the offing with large corporations like Comcast, and form part of an explicit push by the company's new CEO to take the non-profit organization in a more commercial direction.

 

[Acroplex]

ICANNT believe this

 

[Kate]

Really icannt.com

 

[NigelD]

Just been reading the report and accounts for the years 2013-2016 which are still published on the nominet site. Total pay (inc bonuses and pensions) for the 3 main positions - CEO, COO and CTO soared in just 3 years as follows:
2013 £625,000
2016 £1,026,000
That's a whopping 64% increase in just 3 years
Can't see the figures for 2017 yet - but in my mind the .co.uk market has gone backwards in those 3 years -certainly in terms of value of domains and the confusion caused by the needless launch of the .uk extension. Domain owners have been handed a 50% increase in fees and from 2019 that will equate to at least a 300% increase as they are forced to take up the .uk or lose it. And what will most domain owners do with their extra domain - Nothing!

My plea to the nominet board is this:
- be more open, be more transparent - continue publishing your minutes
- reduce your salaries back to the 2013 level
- reduce registration fees back to the 2013 level
- forget the new gtlds - stop using .co.uk monies to subsidise risky ventures
- realise the privilege of being entrusted with the running of a virtual monopoly on behalf of the uk community

 

[cooljub]

reduce your salaries back to the 2013 level

 

[NigelD]

yes they might have to tighten their belts a little

 

[domainscot]

Best thing to do is start moving away from .co.uk and stick to .com.

 

[NigelD]

there's no doubt .com has been a beneficiary of nominet's stupid launch of the .uk and all the confusion it has created in the market. .com is also cheaper, and more straighforward now, than having to buy a .co.uk and a .uk. But whilst we, as a company, like .com we still like using a .co.uk for uk based audiences, and it's important that we hold the current board to account as best we can. If they are going to take huge page increases, whilst at the same time imposing massive reg fee increases, and using .co.uk monies to subsidise risky ventures, then we need to highlight these facts especially if they decide to stop publishing minutes. I wonder if there were any minutes produced showing who proposed that minutes should no longer be produced, and if anyone opposed this step? Or was this all done retrospectively?

Of course the large registrars have total control of the situation. Do they care about the uk domain market? Do they care about .co.uk domain owners? hardly - it's a bit like asking a cat to look after the church mice.