Re: [ga] Tasting and other errant or illegal registration activity, was: Re: [ga] List Rules

[Karl Auerbach <karl@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of the data points that we need in order to comprehend the effects 
of "tasting" is how much it actually costs registries to process a 
domain name registration transaction.
Without have a believable, concrete number we can't really know whether 
the costs of this practice are being offloaded onto normal full-term 
registrants.
If the transaction cost is high, then we need to know how it is being 
covered by those who get the benefit of free short term registrations 
via AGP.  For example, we need to be able to analyze whether the amounts 
on deposit generate enough money to cover the costs engendered by those 
registrars that drive the bulk of AGP and other high-transaction rate 
activities.
And if the transaction cost is low then we need to understand how ICANN 
justifies the existence of registry fees that are much larger than would 
be expected via a cost plus reasonable profit formula.
I understand that "cost" is not a simple number, and that some simple 
numbers, such as the incremental cost, can be misleading.  What I am 
suggesting is this:  That registrars provide a mildly detailed 
breakdown of the cost elements of the various aspects of registration 
transaction processing and providing name resolution.
                --karl--