3.6.3.2 The Name Providers SO

One reform with significant potential would be to separate the supply side of the domain names business from demand, and to consolidate name registries and registrars into a single Name Providers Supporting Organization (NPSO). This would avoid several of the obstacles encountered by the current DNSO

First, while the ultimate goals of the NPSO members would diverge, we can expect that they at least would be concerned with the same sets of issues. gTLD registries and registrars, and ccTLD managers each contract with ICANN to receive and provide services and provide a significant amount of ICANN's income. Their stature in terms of their function and relationship to ICANN is comparable to that of the constituencies that form the other SOs. These three constituencies could find a shared frame of reference among themselves better than an amalgamate DNSO. And with that base to build on, the NPSO could be significantly more efficient.

Second, the NPSO could avoid some of the DNSO's definitional problems. All three constituencies would have pre-established and well-defined memberships, which would facilitate meaningful representation in a way not possible elsewhere in the DNSO.

Finally, creation of an NPSO would address concerns of the ccTLD managers and others that they have been denied an effective voice in the ICANN process without disrupting ICANN's bottom-up approach to policymaking. Some of the ccTLD managers have proposed the creation of a "ccSO" that would directly represent ccTLD managers' interests at the Board level. This seems inconsistent with the way other ICANN components operate; the ccTLD perspective should be represented equally with other important interests in ICANN. Moreover, creation of a ccSO could encourage other DNSO constituencies to seek representation on the Board-for example, if a ccSO were established how long would it be before the gTLD registries and the registrars demanded similar recognition?

3.6.3.1 The DNSO Constituencies

3.6.3.3 The Consumers SO