Hello, Dear Protocol Council Members, Please find below for your consideration the draft text that I intend to send to Mr. S. Lynn on the Alternative Roots issue. Best regards, Vladimir Dear Stuart, On behalf of the Protocol Council, I'm sending you the Position of the PSO-PC on the Alternative Roots Issue. It was agreed that each Protocol Supporting Organization gives also its comments/statements concerning the Alternative Roots Issue. The PSO Statement is: "The Internet DNS currently operates using a Single Authoritative Root Server System. Although, it would be technically possible to devise and standardize a fully compliant alternative multiple root server system, there appears to be no technical reason for changing from the present working system, as this would require the development of a new set of protocols for use by the DNS." The ITU-T Study Group 2 conclusion on the Alternative Roots Issue, which was reached during the ITU-T Study Group 2 meeting (Geneva, 4-14 September 2001) states: "Study Group 2 has noted the PSO statement and has no objections to it. However, Study Group 2 notes that there may be other issues in addition to technical reasons such as administrative and national sovereignty considerations." IETF Statement on the Alternative Roots Issue is: "The Internet currently operates using a tree-structured name space known as the DNS. Of necessity, such a name space must have a single, authoritative root. Moving to a model that would not require such a single, authoritative root would require replacing the present, working DNS with some other system. Such a replacement would require the development of a new naming paradigm, as well as the protocols and software to implement it. Developing and deploying such replacement protocols would take years, and would have enormous potential for disruption of the Internet. IETF does not see any technical benefit in such an effort." ETSI supported the ITU-T Study Group 2 Statement and the IETF Statement. W3C supported IETF Statement. Sincerely yours, Vladimir