My concerns around auctions all center on the idea that the DNS is a resource for the entire world and money is not equally distributed throughout this world. If new TLDs are distributed solely by auction, you're virtually guaranteeing (a) that all registries will be operated by companies based in the developed world, and (b) the developing world will continue to be underserved by TLD registries and meaningful TLD strings. So I think "affirmative action"-style considerations or the "maximization of the social good" ought to be taken into the consideration as well (with the full understanding that this takes us out of bright-line, objective tests for TLD selection). I also wonder about groups like IODesign (with which I'm not affiliated) who proposed something years ago. They'd likely get outbid for .WEB. Is that fair? I'm sure Google, with it's local service and Google Earth software, might like .GEO and could outbid SRI, which proposed it in 2000. How do we deal with those issues? These are problems that can be solved, I'm sure, but you are going to have circumstances in which someone who is not the highest bigger claims to have a superior right to the highest bidder in the idea or text string. -- Bret