During a board meeting in Berlin last month, board member George Conrades, who used to be with IBM, essentially asked NSI if it was in or out. And if it was out, it could be out of business altogether. The Commerce Department is trying to play referee behind the scenes, while trying keep things low key, observers say, because presidential contender Al Gore needs to play the high-tech card in his campaign and doesn't want this fight to become ammunition for partisan politics. Amid this contentious debate, Commerce is holding up its optimistic face. That language alone is vague without a careful reading of the June 1998 Statement of Policy , which is based on a white paper by the Clinton administration.
Legal experts say it is unclear.
It could have been clearer, but it opens up the door to sweeping in everything from the white paper. Others agree that Amendment 11 is not entirely clear, and that NSI could have jockeyed for language that would put it in a different category from new registrars. But it's in a unique position compared to others who have signed the agreement, because it's being asked to put its core business under the control of an outside organization that's not accountable to their stockholders. Inc. All rights reserved.