Re: There is no government mandate
1. Nobody is threatening the organisations or individuals who chose to register names in .org in any way, shape or form.
>>> Wrong: everybody who registered a .org domain is threatened by higher cost and the uncertainty of having his domain registration handled by a company without a track record.
2. Whoever runs the registry (which is only a clerical operation, with no powers of control whatever) will be constrained by the market to set reasonable prices; otherwise people will simply switch to other domains.
>>> Wrong: whoever has a user base and name recognition built on his .org domain will be hostage to the policies of the new, unknown company running the show. Clerical operation my ass. This is waylaying.
3. This clerical operation of registering names has been a competitive business since 1998, when the Clinton Administration gave it away to private industry. So occasional sales or takeovers of registrar companies is business as usual. People should be happy that the Internet Society will benefit from it. If you don't like it, abolish capitalism.
Wrong: The operation of registering .org names was not a competitive business. Stop comparing apple and oranges.
There is a billion-dollar investment at stake. Anyone want to take a guess whether paid shills will start entering the discussion forum? Sorry, make that 'professional PR operations'.