[dns-operations] stealth slaving the root zone

[Eric Brunner-Williams]

>> > True. However the $186k entrance fee and other unavoidable costs will  
>> > set some limits.
> The thing to watch for is pressure to lower that.

the program is (a) not "cross-subsidized" (the beneficiary of the
monopoly contract regime pays nothing towards the creation of a
competitive regime), and (b) is "cost-recovery" (for estimated costs,
including some risks), and (c) contains an additional "risk" costing
in the form of a multi-year estimated "continuity instrument" escrow.

in addition, the program now has service level requirements for new
operators in excess of those agreed to by current operators.

if cost and risk are no better estimated after the current exercise,
then the fee levels may be maintained. if they may be better estimated
then pressure to maintain the current fee levels can not be justified
without a change to the current commitment the corporation has made to
those considering current vs subsequent round costs.

recall, the costs to applicants in the policy-driven 2000 and 2004
rounds was ~45k usd, and while one applicant spent some part of $20m
on its buildout, one applicant went live with very limited resources.

> The current commitment on ICANN's part ...

my recollection is that corporate legal opined that it could handle a
3k/day execution rate, where "k" == contract, prior to other
expressions of the subject of rate of entry into the iana root.

-e