Jacko

Overheard in a discussion on the PH issue: Having the Disinis in Internet Governance issues is like having Michael Jackson play with your son.

Why we need a change

The current PH domain adminstrator is getting a wee bit too creative with his facts and trying to cloud the issue with personal attacks and peripheral arguments because the move to institute domain reforms is finally gaining steam.

Here are the real and fundamental issues about the way the PH domain is run and why it has to change.

1. PH is for all Filipinos. The PH domain belongs to the Philippines, not just one company.

2. The PH administrator must be accountable. The current administrator, DotPH, is a private entity with no accountability to the local Internet community. Nobody in the Philippines elected or appointed the administrator.

3. The existing monopoly has kept prices high. The current administrator runs the domain as a monopoly, setting prices without consulting the public that it serves. In the past, it raised prices drastically and began charging in US dollars instead of Philippine pesos.

4. Monopoly kills competition. The administrator claims it has multiple "registrars" but these are merely dealers who cannot compete in terms of price. This is one reason PH domains cost more than .COM domains. This is also why many Philippine websites do not use the .PH domain. We want multiple registrars who can compete in price because real competition benefits the public.

5. We need transparency in the way the domain is run. As a private company with no public acountability, DotPH is not transparent in the way it runs the domain. It has even shunned public forums that seek change. In two instances, instead of participating in a public hearing, DotPH sent a man with a video camera to merely record the proceedings -- the height of arrogance.

DotPH has been given all the opportunity to join discussions on domain reform and snubbed all efforts to achieve them. Now that it is being required to abide by guidelines set by the government in consultation with the community, it protests that it was never consulted. This is patently untrue.

Also to cloud the issue, DotPH constantly harps on the need for reformists to cite "technical problems." The problems with DotPH are NOT technical in nature -- these would be easy to solve. The real problem is structural and fundamental. Should one private company, with no mandate from the Internet community, be allowed to continue running the domain as its own private fiefdom?

We strongly believe not. This is why we support the government campaign to petition the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for a redelegation of the domain, preferably to a private foundation with wide representation from the Internet community.

It is time to liberate the PH domain.