IEDR Should Engage With Public

Over the last few months there has been a certain degree of debate in some circles with regard to the IEDR’s pricing and other policies.
Some people called for a reduction in pricing, although they did little to pass on any saving to the public.
In other quarters there were mutterings about the future of the IE namespace with both the advent of EU looming on the horizon coupled with the likelihood of greater government involvement in the day to day running of the registry.
What has the IEDR done about this?
On the pricing front there was a significant reduction on both the wholesale and retail rate from 1st January this year. While some people are displeased with this, their displeasure would appear to be tainted by their previous complaints about the high pricing.
Prior to January the pricing structure for IE resellers was anything but simple.
There were pricing tiers based on the number of domains “held” by a billing contact. Once you got past a particular threshold you qualified for a rebate – not a price reduction – which was given to you quarterly.
This obviously benefited some of the larger resellers who were billing for several thousand domains, but even for them this “pay now get moneyback later” scheme must have been quite cumbersome.
The new pricing scheme is much simpler for all parties concerned. Instead of tiers you have a nice and simple uniform price, which per unit means that even the larger players do not pay more per unit than they did previously.
However, as is so common in Irish business, there are those who are not happy with this pricing structure and would wish to cast doubts on the integrity of companies who have passed on savings to their clients.
What ever happened to free market economics?
Surely it is up to each company to chose their own business model?
Why should taking a gutsy approach be greeted with an attack on a company’s integrity or viability?
However it is not for me, as a business owner, to make these decisions. Ultimately competitors are free to choose how they wish to react to our marketing tactics as in reality we do not market or sell to them, so their views of us do not really matter.
Having said that the IEDR’s own policies and procedures should be reviewed, or at least discussed.
There are certain apparent inconsistencies between what they claim on the one hand and what they do on the other.
What exactly do they mean by a “managed registry”?
Which facets of the IE namespace, apart form the zonefiles, are they actually managing?
Is it merely a matter of them applying rote to the processes and procedures that have been in place since the IE namespace was moved under the management of the IEDR, or should they be doing more to promote it and defend it from squatters and spammers?
While it is possible for an individual to discuss these matters directly with IEDR management surely a more proactive approach is needed?
Other registries, such as Nominet, actively encourage feedback from members. While the case of Nominet is hardly a good example to choose, due to the very size of the operation etc., it is also a good role model to follow in some cases.