Regarding the three comments about the AGP. From the Domain tasting working group Outcomes Report and indeed from the RC statement you quote, it is clear that wholesale elimination of the AGP will not fly. And indeed it is not necessary to eliminate tasting. I would see little point in strongly advocating a position that we know will not be adopted when there are other more viable options available.
We have no choice but the advocate the correct point, which is to eliminate the AGP. I don't see any legitimate value in the AGP. At the LA meetings, I made the statement and stand by it -- that the domain name pricing is so reduced, it is not a financial hardship (or at lease for most domain names) if their is a typo. A registrar (on its own) can refund all, or a portion, of their fee to the registrant (to keep a big customer). If the registrar offers a refund, that registrar can always take ownership of the domain name, use it as a parking page and offer to resell that domain name. The only thing that a registrar needs to do to implement this is to take this domain name out of the customer's account with the registrar. Domain tasting provides perfect opportunities for phishers and spammers to use a domain name for a few days, and then have all trace of the domain name to vanish without a trace.
Do you propose that given the deadline, the ALAC decline to submit a statement at all in this case (to my knowledge, the first time we have been invited to do so)?
No. To be silent would be to consent.