<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>As a communications counselor, I am always looking for analogies to help aid the understanding of complex problems. I view VI at ICANN as one such complex problem. A report from the Technology Policy Institute may be the analogy.<br></div><div><br></div><div>The Institute, a think tank focused on the economics of innovation and change (and headed by U.S. Senate runner-up, Carly Fiorina), has issued a report promoting vertical integration as "inherent" in efficient markets. Here is the link to the press release (with a link to the report embedded): <a href="http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/news/show/23247.html">http://www.techpolicyinstitute.org/news/show/23247.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>There are arguable differences between the open markets addressed by the report and the noblesse oblige of ICANN with regard to domain names, but I thought the article was provocative enough to add to the mix.</div><div><br></div><div>It may all be beside the point, of course, if Kurt Pritz was to be believed at our meeting in Washington, D.C. He said ICANN does not want to have to monitor exceptions.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers, </div><div><br></div><div>Berard<br></div></span></body></html>