Email Portability Approved by Knesset Committee

Tue Feb 23 10:39:53 UTC 2010

On Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:25:42 -0500
Steven Bellovin <smb at cs.columbia.edu> wrote:
> Figuring out how such a solution would work with email is left as an exercise for the reader.

OK, let me give it a shot.

How about if we allow anyone to buy a domain name of their own and then
hire someone (e.g. their ISP) to manage email for it.  Now when they
want to change ISPs they just carry their domain with them to the new
ISP.  That way the only people incurring costs are the ISPs managing
the domains and the central domain name registrars, two groups who are
already being paid by the end user to provide the service.

You're using an email address in your ISP's domain?  OK, keep paying
for it and forward it using the control panel facility of your ISP.  If
your free account doesn't have that feature then maybe you have to ask
yourself what you expect for free.

Maybe politicians should just keep their nose out of things that they
can't understand.  Email addresses aren't phone numbers.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy at druid.net>         |  Democracy is three wolves
http://www.druid.net/darcy/                |  and a sheep voting on
+1 416 425 1212     (DoD#0082)    (eNTP)   |  what's for dinner.