InterNIC Annual Progress Report and Program Year 4 Plan

Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, Virginia 20170

[Table of Contents omitted.]

8/30/96

1. Significant Events

Significant InterNIC Registration Services events for the period from December 1, 1994 through March 31, 1996 include the following:

Knowledgenet, Inc. filed a law-suit in which Network Solutions was named regarding the assignment of the domain name knowledgenet.com; the suit was eventually dropped and the original domain name holder agreed to relinquish the name to Knowledgenet, Inc.
Prestone, Inc. filed a law-suit in which Network Solutions was named as a co-defendant regarding the domain name PRESTONE.COM. The domain name holder relinquished the name and Prestone dismissed, with prejudice, the suit against Network Solutions.
A new ticketing system was designed and installed to help customers and internal staff better track current registration requests.
Two new duplicate on-line systems were installed to help off-load the amount of processing on the primary server.
Informal meetings were held involving InterNIC staff and representatives from RIPE, IANA, APNIC and various Internet Service Providers to discuss issues regarding network allocation policies.
A draft version of InterNIC policy and procedure guidelines for network number allocations were prepared and approval was obtained from Jon Postel; additional work ultimately resulted in the release of RFC 1466bis.
A new Internet Service Provider template was designed and made available on-line.
The Scout HQ project (including Net Happenings) moved to the University of Wisconsin through a subcontract between Susan Calcari and Network Solutions; a new web site was established as part of the InterNIC Registration Services web site.
A Domain Dispute Policy was established and put into effect on July 28, 1995; a revised version went into effect on November 23, 1995.
As of September 14, 1995, InterNIC Registration Services started charging for second level domain names in these top-level domain name categories: COM, NET, ORG, GOV, and EDU.
As of February 1996, credit card payments for domain name registrations are being accepted over the telephone.

Additional information regarding significant events can be found in the status column of Table 2-1, Status of 1995 Objectives.

2. Accomplishments

2.1 Accomplishments With Regard to 1995 Objectives

Table 2-1 summarizes accomplishments made with regard to 1995 InterNIC Registration Services goals and objectives set by Network Solutions in the Annual Progress Report delivered in 1995 for the period starting on December 1, 1993 and ending on November 30, 1994.

Table 2-1 Status of 1995 Objectives
Objective	Status
Implement domain name fee policy	Policy was implemented September 14, 1995. Systems and processes to support invoicing of new domain names and collection of fees are in place and operational. System enhancements to support invoicing of domain name renewals are still being developed. Payments arc accepted by check, money order, or credit card; electronic payment options are still being investigated.
Include funds for the following within the InterNIC Registration Services budget: Root server maintenance, legal fees for domain name disputes, and IANA consulting support	The 1996 budget contains estimated costs for each of these items. Root server maintenance cost support has been offered to each of the organizations owning the servers; two have expressed interest and terms are being negotiated. Legal support and IANA consulting support are being funded from user fees.
Implement a ticketing system that allows for more efficient processing of domain name applications as well as interactive registration via the World Wide Web	The ticketing system is in place and operating. Domain name registration and update templates are available and in use on the web. Interactive domain name registration on the web is an objective that is still being worked.
Deliver high quality service in a timely fashion for distribution and registration of Autonomous System and IP numbers and for registration of domain names by augmenting staff, making equipment improvements and re-engineering processes	The InterNIC is still striving to achieve the objective of high quality service; excessive growth rates continue to impact service quality. Staff size was increased significantly in 1995 and additional increases will be required in 1996 as demand for InterNIC services continues to escalate. Equipment/software upgrades and additions were made in 1995 and plans are underway to upgrade and add new equipment/software in 1996. Processes have been analyzed in detail and are continually being improved to better meet customer needs. Backlog of AS and IP numbers has been minimized consistently. Backlog of name registrations and updates has been a persistent problem; an intense effort to eliminate this backlog is underway and the objective of eliminating it should be achieved by mid to late March 1996.
Assist in establishing new delegated registries	Support for the AP-NIC was provided by allowing an AP-NIC staff member to work at the InterNIC for several months. Sufficient demand for anticipated registries in South America and Africa has not materialized to date.
Continue efforts to deploy and improve an operational RWhois application	Work to standardize and formalize the RWhois protocol has continued through the IETF working group process. Internet community discussion has continued with regard to operational issues about how delegated registries should use Rwhois. Rwhois is in operation in all 50 states for the US domain as well as in approximately 40 companies in other domains. RWhois application development work has been accomplished through the combined efforts of Mark Kosters and Scott Williamson, with Scott providing support under a consulting agreement; this work will continue throughout 1996.
Continue to work with Internet Service Providers that have been issued CIDR blocks to implement inverse addressing on the entire block instead of individual records	The InterNIC Registration Services IP Section under the leadership of Kim Hubbard worked intensively with ISPs regarding this issue. An IN-ADDR template was designed and implemented in the summer of 1995. All ISPs receiving /16 bits or less (>= 256 class Cs) from the InterNIC are now responsible for maintaining all IN-ADDR.ARPA domain records for their respective customers, including maintenance of IN-ADDR.ARPA domain records of all longer prefixes that have been delegated out of a block.
Attend and participate in meetings sponsored by IETF, International Congress of Internet Service Providers and NANOG	(Refer to Section 3 below for information regarding the fulfillment of this objective.)

2.2 Performance Accomplishments

This section contains the following tables and charts that summarize InterNIC Registration Service performance statistics for the period beginning December 1, 1994 and ending February 29, 1996:

Figure 2-1	Cumulative Growth by Domain (COM, EDU, ORG, NET)
Table 2-2	Cumulative Domain Name Registrations by Month
Figure 2-2	Top Level Domain Distribution as of 2/29/96
Figure 2-3	New Domain Names Registered by Month
Figure 2-4	Domain Updates Per Month
Figure 2-5	IP Numbers Allocated Per Month
Figure 2-6	Telephone & Postal/Fax Requests
Figure 2-7	Whois Queries by Month
Figure 2-8	E-Mail Received Monthly at the Hostmaster Address
Table 2-3	InterNIC Connections/Retrievals Per Month
Table 2-4	InterNIC Workload Increases from December 1994 to March 1996
Table 2-5	Average Processing Days Per Request
Table 2-6	US Domain Monthly Activity.

[Figure 2-1 omitted.]

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[Table 2-3 omitted.]

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The InterNIC registered the following 28 new country Top Level Domains (TLDs) since December 1, 1994, bringing the total to 160. A listing of these TLDs is provided in Table 2-7 below:

[Table 2-7 omitted.]

3. Community Involvement

Since December 1, 1994, the InterNIC has pursued an aggressive outreach program in the Internet community. The goal of this effort has been to solicit ideas regarding which services are of value and in what direction the InterNIC should move with regard to new support programs and information services. On September 5, 1995 a "NIC Liaison" staff position was filled by Tom Newell from the University of Texas at Austin. The NIC Liaison has augmented the outreach program through its focus on the R&E community.

3.1 Community Outreach Activities

Table 3-1 identifies major community outreach activities undertaken from December 1, 1994 through March 31, 1996.

Table 3-1 Community Outreach Activities
Month	Activity
December 1994	31st IETF meeting, San Jose, California Scott Williamson and Mark Kosters participated in this meeting.
January 1995	RIPE Meeting, Amsterdam Kim Hubbard made a presentation detailing InterNIC IP assignments and allocation guidelines while Mark Kosters provided an InterNIC overview and discussed RFC 1466bis development.
February 1995	North American Network Operators Group (NANOG) meeting, Denver, Colorado Mark Kosters provided an InterNIC overview and discussed RFC 1466bis implications regarding IP number allocations.
April 1995	32nd Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meeting, Danvers, Massachusetts A number of InterNIC staff participated in the IETF meeting, making registration-related presentations, discussing policy and developmental issues, and providing feedback to participants. Mark Kosters hosted the RWhois working group.
May 1995	NANOG meeting, Ann Arbor, Michigan Mark Kosters provided an InterNIC overview and discussed RFC 1466bis implications for IP allocations.
June 1995	INET 95 Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii Mark Kosters provided an InterNIC overview.
July 1995	33rd IETF meeting, Stockholm, Sweden Mark Kosters chaired the RWhois working group meeting. Kim Hubbard attended registration-related meetings and presented RFC 1466bis and IP allocation plans.
September 1995	NANOG meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Several staff members participated in this meeting, providing overviews of InterNIC activity, updates related to IP allocation guidelines, and answering questions related to domain name dispute issues.
October 1995	ACM, Special Interest Group for University and College Computing Services, St. Louis, Missouri Tom Newell made a presentation entitled, "The InterNIC: Year 3 and Beyond." Tom sought the input of conference participants regarding useful InterNIC information programs and services. Some of the key themes which emerged included a focus on modular training materials and an emphasis on supporting smaller R&E organizations. Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) meeting, Portland, Oregon Tom Newell delivered the presentation entitled, "The InterNIC: Year 3 and Beyond." Tom sought the input of conference participants regarding developing useful InterNIC information programs and services. Key themes included an urging for the InterNIC to participate in community activities which relate to Internet information services and technologies. Tom agreed to participate with the CNI white paper project exploring federal electronic information issues and how they impact R&E libraries. EDUCOM Conference, Portland, Oregon Tom Newell made the presentation entitled, "The InterNIC: Year 3 and Beyond." Tom sought the input of conference participants regarding developing useful Internet information programs and services. The theme of supporting smaller institutions continued but with a focus on the library community as the natural avenue for addressing InterNIC support of those organizations which support Internet end-users.
November 1995	CAUSE 95 Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana Tom Newell made the presentation entitled, "The InterNIC: Year 3 and Beyond," to members of the R& E community. Tom sought the input of conference participants regarding developing useful Inter information programs and services. It was clear that the InterNIC is not well-recognized within management and director-level functions within the R& E community. Texas Higher Education Network (THEnet) meeting, Austin, Texas Tom Newell made a presentation regarding the InterNIC and the directions it has taken. Tom also met with THEnet representatives to discuss InterNIC support of the R&E community.
December 1995	34th IETF meeting, Dallas, Texas Several InterNIC staff members attended the December IETF meeting, participating in registration and user-services related meetings and discussions. Mark Kosters chaired the RWhois working group meeting. Kim Hubbard participated in discussions related to IP allocation policies. Jasdip Singh participated in DNS and "Mobile-IP" meetings. Tom Newell made the presentation to the User Services Working Group entitled, "The InterNIC: Year 3 and Beyond." The InterNIC agreed to provide assistance to the User Service Working Group (USWG) in promoting IETF user services information and revisions to the USWG WWW site. NSF/DNCRI & Harvard Information Infrastructure Project, Washington, D.C. Kim Hubbard and David Graves participated in this workshop, exploring issues related to Internet administrative infrastructure topics.
January 1996	American Library Association/Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) meeting, San Antonio, Texas Tom Newell met with the Board of Directors for LITA and proposed a partnership in developing a WWW-base Internet training resource for the R & E community.
February 1996	CIX/ISOC Workshop, Washington, D.C Several InterNIC staff members participated in this NSF-sponsored workshop to discuss support issues for the administrative infrastructure of the Internet. Mark Kosters participated as a member of the panel examining the technical implications of registration policy.
March 1996	35th IETF meeting, Los Angeles, California Mark Kosters, Jasdip Singh, Tom Newell, Kim Hubbard and Julie Robichaux participated in this meeting. Digital Libraries meeting, Washington, D.C. Tom Newell plans to participate in this meeting. Coalition for Networked Information meeting, Washington, D.C. Tom Newell plans to participate in this meeting.

An important lesson learned from the outreach activities listed above is that the InterNIC project is primarily visible as a result of the registry function and not for any information or support services it may offer.

3.2 InterNIC Site Visits

In addition to the Internet community outreach activities listed in Table 3-1 above, the InterNIC hosted many visitors at the Registration Services site in Herndon, Virginia.

Organizations hosted at the InterNIC site included but were not limited to:

APNIC
RIPE
Sprint
PSI.
IBM Japan.

Individuals hosted by the InterNIC included but were not limited to:

Jon Postel
Paul Mockapetris
Peter Lothberg
Ann Cooper (.US domain)
Jerry Sharf (CIX).*

* The meeting with Jerry Sharf at the InterNIC was an important effort at defining "Common Object Schema" for inter-registry coordination.

3.3 Feedback from the Research and Education (R & E) Community

In support of the R&E outreach effort and to complement conference/meeting presentations included in Table 3-1 above, Tom Newell pursued a dialogue with representatives of the higher education community to seek ideas for future InterNIC support. This.group included among others:

Jim Williams (FARNET)
Martyne Hallgren (Cornell)
Gleason Sackman (SENDIT)
Karen Coyle (UC Berkeley)
Don Nash (UT Austin)
Jodi Ito (University of Hawaii)
Jerry Martin (Ohio State University)
Paul Peters (Coalition for Networked Information)
Larry Landweber (University of Wisconsin)
Linda Hutchinson (Iowa State University)
Joyce Reynolds (USC-ISI)
Chuck McClure (Syracuse University)
Joan Cheverie (Georgetown University/CNI)
Sue Feldman (Digital Access Coalition, Cornell University)
Jim Conklin (CREN)
Susan Hales (Bucknell University)
Joanna Colgrove (Reed College).

Discussions with R & E community representatives resulted in the following conclusions:

The R & E community places a great deal of value on training-support materials which can be used with little modification. In this regard, the InterNIC is:
- Working with the American Library Association to create a training support service for Internet trainers comprised of extensible and modular packages.
- Coordinating with Patrick Crispin to host on-going E-Mail-based training seminars.
The R & E community is interested in technology developments chat impact its use of the Internet:
- The InterNIC is viewed as a logical clearinghouse for Internet-related information.
- Useful InterNIC services would provide growth and demographic data for the Internet which includes registration information, routing statistics and measurements, development patterns, and international growth data.
Despite its origins in the R & E community, the InterNIC has come to be viewed as an organization which serves the larger, international community; support and information services should be designed with this fact in mind.
Responsive, accurate, and timely services are fundamental to registry operations.

4. Net Scout Project

4.1 Significant Events and Accomplishments

The following summarizes the significant events and accomplishments of the Net Scout Project during the third year of InterNIC Registration Services:

The Net Scout Project was re-established under the Computer Sciences Department, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, campus in May 1995.
The Scout report resumed a regular, weekly publication schedule during the summer of 1995.
Susan Calcari was instrumental in the selection of 'NIC Liaison" position, and in the start-up of InterNIC's outreach efforts to the R&E community.
A new Net Scout service called The Scout Toolkit was announced at Educom in October 1995.

5. 1995 Financial Information

COST ELEMENT	APPROVED BUDGET	YEAR 3 (through 9/13/95)	EXPLANATION
TOTAL SENIOR PERSONNEL	3.7 F.T.E.	2.3 F.T.E.	Mark Kosters worked more hours than planned. Bob McCollum worked fewer hours than planned Academic Liaison position filled S months after planned. Project Manager position not filled
OTHER PROFESSIONALS	25.5 F.T.E.	17.9 F.T.E.	Staffing less than planned due to difficulty in finding qualified technical personnel.
SECRETARIAL CLERICAL	1 F.T.E.	.5 F.T.E.	Staffing less than planned due to recruiting and hiring problems.
DIRECT LABOR DOLLARS	$543,229	$335,187
FRINGE BENEFITS			Directly proportionate to decrease in direct labor dollars.
TRAVEL: DOMESTIC	$41,644	$11,053	Fewer trips than planned; staff not available for travel due to personnel shortages.
TRAVEL: FOREIGN	$21,143	$11,211	Fewer trips than planned; staff not available for travel due to personnel shortages.
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES	$15,800	$61,979	FAX Modems not purchased. Supplies used less than planned Unplanned purchases from Computerware and Sun Microsystems.
SUBCONTRACTS	$286,336	$181,754	Scott Williamson billed less than projected Susan Calceri's execution significantly underran budget. Domain Consulting Services not used
OTHER	$68,111	$107,645	Long distance telephone costs less than forecasted No production/printing costs due to delay in implementing Outreach Programs. Membership fees not incurred. Change in accounting system resulted in unplanned Computer Service Center costs allocated to project.
INDIRECT COSTS			Directly proportionate to changes to total direct labor, total travel, and total other direct costs. Overhead decreased due to lower direct labor costs; Material Burden decreased due to lower indirect rate and lower materials costs; Other indirect costs remained unchanged. Fixed fee unchanged from that which was approved for Year 3. Net effect is decrease in indirect costs.
TOTAL COSTS	$1,953,648	$1,244,413

6. 1996 Goals and Objectives

6.1 InterNIC Registration Services Goals and Objectives

In planning for 1996 InterNIC services, the Network Solutions team set some general goals and then developed short and long-term performance objectives designed to help achieve those goals.

6.1.1 InterNIC Mission

Network Solutions' mission with regard to InterNIC Registration Services is to:

Improve the quality of services to all customers supported, including internal and external customers, large provider organizations, and individual end-users, and be recognized by those customers as an organization that:
- Responds to all customers in a responsible and competent manner
- Offers service that is reasonable, consistent and equitable to all customers in the context of the overall Internet community
- Is trustworthy, honest and accountable to all customers and to the Internet community at large.
Gain increased respect of the overall Internet community with regard to:
- Timely responsiveness to customer requests
- Security and accuracy of InterNIC transactions
- Internet knowledge and technical leadership
- Stewardship responsibilities associated with the overall community
Strengthen international customer support services
Initiate outreach services to developing regions of the world.

6.1.2 InterNIC Registration Services

Network Solutions' highest priority in the first three to six months of 1996 is to improve the quality of services currently being provided. A summary of currently offered registration services is presented in Table 5-1.

Table 6-1 InterNIC Registration Services
InterNIC Section	Services Offered
Domain Registration	Register names, hosts and people Update domain name records Answer customer questions Provide domain name dispute information
IP	Register IP numbers, ASNs, SWIPs and IN-ADDRs Update network records Answer network questions Provide network configuration support
Liaison	Provide Internet outreach support to the R&E community Provide Internet outreach support to the academic community Represent the InterNIC at R&E and academic conferences Provide InterNIC support programs for the overall community Provide Internet Information Services Provide list management support associated with the above services Provide InterNIC Web management support for the above services Represent the InterNIC as a spokesperson in the overall community Mediate between the Internet community and InterNIC operations Assist in the development of and ongoing quality control of all InterNIC documentation and policy development
Receivables	Send 60-day notices for domain name renewals Generate and send invoices for new and renewal domain names Process customer payments including application of payments to customer accounts, processing credit card payments, preparing deposits, and transferring data to SAIC corporate record-keeping systems Answer customer billing questions
Engineering	Develop, maintain and improve automated processing systems to support services provided by other InterNIC Sections Specify requirements for, monitor performance of, and administer all hardware and software in support of automated services Ensure the highest levels of security for all InterNIC operations Provide technical guidance for InterNIC policy development efforts Provide technical representation of the InterNIC at Internet technical forums Develop, maintain and improve automated processing tools and performance measurement systems Update root name servers Administer InterNIC databases Provide technical list management support Provide Internet research and development support Plan for next generation InterNIC technology Support the ongoing development and implementation of RWhois
Business Management	Manage the domain name dispute process Ensure compliance with applicable laws and policies Provide legal direction regarding InterNIC policy development Serve as contractual liaison with the National Science Foundation Oversee media relations
Facilities Management	Provide work space, equipment and software for all InterNIC staff Provide communications equipment and software for help desk telephone support Procure equipment and software in support of all InterNIC services

6.1.3 Short-Term Performance Objectives

Specific short-term (3-6 months) performance objectives for 1996 are as follows:

Operations Objectives

Upon receipt of all required information, provide one-day response time for the following electronically received requests:
- Domain registration support requests
- Billing support requests
- General information inquiries
Initiate a formal internal training program to ensure improved preparation of operations staff members to be able to provide top quality, consistent, and reliable customer support
Train and use temporary hires to assist in the elimination of Domain Registration and Receivables Section backlog and to provide help desk telephone support
Modify work schedules to maximize the use of available facilities and equipment and to better respond to customer support needs
Develop and implement a customer service representative accountability system

Engineering Section Objectives

Provide 7x24 systems administration support
Finish development of and implement Guardian

Help Desk Objectives

Provide telephone help desk support that satisfies the following criteria:
- Call abandon rate of less than 8%
- Average customer wait time of less than two minutes
- Average time to return voice mail requests of less than two hours.
Implement a revised voice mail script to improve the distribution of help desk telephone calls
Expand help desk telephone support to cover from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time
Procure and install:
- A voice mail performance measurement system
- An automatic fax back system

IP Section Objectives

Upon receipt of all required information, provide three-day initial response time for IP/network support requests

Liaison Section Objectives

Implement the "15 Minute Series" training program in partnership with the American Library Association.
Implement, promote and manage the technical support requirements for hosting the Patrick Crispin ROADMAP email-based training program; integrate this service and the Atlas service with planned InterNIC Information and User-oriented programs.
As part of an "FYI: InterNIC," document and incorporate a user-focused Frequently Asked Questions service; edit and expand for possible Internet Draft status as part of the IETF process.
Promote an electronic "InterNIC News" newsletter focusing on events and developments of interest to the R&E and Internet community,
Host focus-group to discuss R&E outreach "lessons-learned."

Scout Services

Fully integrate Net-happenings into Net Scout Services, including salary, Web pages, and close coordination with InterNIC activities.
Hire additional staff to provide full self-sufficiency for Net Scout Services: programmer, system administrator, writer/editor, special librarian.
Survey research and education community users of all Scout Services to determine who and how many use the services and how the services can better fit their needs.
Conduct extensive community outreach to assure all researchers and educators are aware of our offerings.

Receivables Section Objectives

Provide customers the following within one calendar week of the date shown:
- 60-day domain name renewal notices (60 days prior to anniversary date)Invoices for domain name renewals (30 days prior to anniversary date)
- 1 5-day reminder notices for domain name renewals (15 days prior to anniversary date)
- Invoices for new domain names (name registration date)

Management Objectives

Increase InterNIC staff levels in all sections as applicable to be able to reach and maintain the above service levels
Implement a concentrated recruiting/hiring program to fill personnel requisitions as well as any requisitions opened in the near future
Initiate quality assurance performance measures to assist in the identification of training, process improvement and personnel improvement needs
Develop and implement a plan to improve forecasting of personnel space and equipment needs
Evaluate the current InterNIC organizational structure to determine if efficiencies and service improvements could be gained by organizing in different ways (e.g., redefining the Hostmaster function, separating telephone support from template processing, etc.)
Write and distribute a description of InterNIC services
Write and distribute a paper discussing multiple registry issues
Eliminate all single points of failure with regard to personnel and systems
Develop and implement the following InterNIC Registration Services policies:
- Authorization for Domain Name Record Modifications
- Domain Name Transfer
- Domain Name Removal
- IP Allocation Guidelines
- Lame Delegation
- Multiple Domain Names
- Offensive Domain Names
- Policy Development.

6.1.4 Long-Term Performance Objectives

Network Solutions has set the following performance objectives to be achieved in the 6 to 24 month time frame:

Engineering Section Objectives

Develop and implement an on-line registration process on the Web
Develop an InterNIC disaster recovery plan
Plan for the possible redesign of the InterNIC database
Develop plans for a normalized/classless database

IP Section Objectives

Participate in and plan for the possibility of an IP number charging scheme
Plan for the transition to Ipv6

Liaison Section Objectives

Tailor curriculums within the "15 Minute Series" program for a broader segment of the community.
Investigate Discipline-based Network Information Centers (DNICs). Identify a prototypical discipline for investigation purposes. Staff as necessary to provide research, technical, and management oversight of the effort.
Investigate Mbone-based training initiatives focused on facilitating the use of interactive technologies in the R&E classroom. Work with the IETF User Services Working Group to define this collaborative effort
Work with InterNIC management teams to implement a "Knowledge-Base" product for Help Desk operations.
Extend R&E outreach efforts to a wider community as part of a public relations and on-going quality assurance program.

Scout Services

Establish a new service, the Scout Sprouts Report, a bi-weekly newsletter of Internet resources written by kids, for kids. Two introductory issues will be published in April 1996 and regular publication will begin in the fall.
Develop an online, browsable subject catalog of all online resources and tools announced by Net Scout Services, including the archives of the Scout Report and Net-happenings for the past two years.
Coordinate with Registration Services, the library community, and other organizations providing information about online resources to determine the best way to organize and deliver information about Internet resources in the long term.
Make Net Scout Services the place researchers and educators go to fad the best Internet resources and tools. Success will be measured by the comments received from the community, the awards received, and the amount of usage the services receive.

Receivables Section Objectives

Implement a more user-friendly and easier to process invoice
Research and implement an on-line payment process

Management Objectives

Develop and implement an improved customer feedback mechanism
Research and implement systems and processes to monitor registration transaction quality including electronic and telephone support services
Develop and implement a plan to reduce areas of vulnerability with regard to root server operation
Establish an InterNIC backup site
Determine the value of creating a Program Control/Business Forecasting position
Evaluate the value of hiring a Customer Service Manager who would be responsible for quality control of all customer service interfaces
Use a systemic approach to perform a comprehensive process analysis to identify areas for improvement
Establish service-level agreements with our customers

7. 1996-98 Budget Information

		Total
Revenue
	Registration Services - New	$ 7,455
	Registration Services - Maintenance	12,327
	Holdback Revenue	6,000
	Registrations Services - Renewals	2,285
	Total Revenue	32,955
Direct labor		3,462
Fringe
Holdback expenses		6,000
Overhead
ODC's		3,009
Bad Debt Expense		8,087
M&S Overhead
	Sub Total
G&A
M&S
	Total Cost
Operating Profit
Operating Profit as a Percent of Revenue

Revenue

Registrations will grow from 28,000 / period to 60,000 / period by the end of the fiscal year.
NSI will collect 70% of the registrations (both news and renewals). The remaining 30% will be uncollectable.
The 30% holdback (amount to be reinvested in the Internet Infrastructure) is recognized as revenue when spent. The projection assumes $6M will have been spent by 3/31/97.

Expenses

Program staffing will increase by approximately 100% to 150 people.
Subcontracts continue with University of Wisconsin and ISI at a projected annual rate of $850K.
Legal costs continue to ramp up and are projected to be $1M, exclusive of NSI and SAIC staff.
Significant investments in hardware and software continue to be made in order to support our expanding customer base.