[ga] Four Major Internet Organizations Support Adding Seven New Domains

["JIM FLEMING" <JimFleming@prodigy.net>]

http://www.gtld-mou.org/press/core-3.html

BW0265  JAN 26,1998      11:11  PACIFIC      14:11  EASTERN

Four Major Internet Organizations Support Adding Seven New Domains,
Expanding Registration System, Indemnifying IANA
    Business Editors
    WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 26, 1998--

    Consensus on Key Issues Advances Cause of Deregulation, Adding .firm,
.shop, .web, .arts, .rec, .info, .nom

    Four private sector Internet groups with wide U.S. and international
constituencies Monday announced reaching consensus on several key issues
regarding deregulation and self-governance of the Internet, including the
addition of seven new Internet domain names.

    The new domain names, needed to accommodate explosive Internet demand
and bring competitive market forces to registration for generic Top Level
Domains (gTLDs), are .firm, .shop, .web, .arts, .rec, .info, and .nom,
supplementing the current familiar .com, .org, .net.

    The consensus on key principles was reached during lengthy meetings and
teleconferences over a three-day period among the Internet Council of
Registrars (CORE), the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), the
Internet Policy Oversight Committee (POC), and the Internet Society (ISOC).
Perhaps the most important development in expanding the Domain Name System
(DNS) is CORE's offer to indemnify IANA against challenges to its authority
to decide policy on
gTLDs.

    "CORE, POC and the Internet Society also support IANA becoming a new
nonprofit U.S. corporation," said Alan Hanson, chairman of the CORE
executive committee. "IANA has been the reliable and highly efficient
manager of the root system for more than 15 years. It saw the rapid growth
of the Internet at the highest level of technical management and first
proposed a plan for adding new gTLDs almost three years ago. CORE supports
its plan and its continued role as manager of the root as a nonprofit
corporation, and voted to indemnify IANA in hopes of moving deregulation and
competition ahead rapidly."

    Despite tremendous support of IANA by the Internet community, leading
corporations and organizations worldwide, the threat of lawsuits has been a
potential roadblock in allowing the government to end its funding of IANA
and let it become a private sector nonprofit corporation with an independent
board. IANA will be able to move more quickly toward privatization backed by
the financial strength of CORE and its global organization, according to
John Gilmore, trustee of the Internet Society.

    CORE is a nonprofit corporation created to administer the registration
of new domains. It operates under a global constitution and set of
standards, and currently lists 88 registrars in 23 countries, including 25
U.S. registrars with a presence in 103 American cities. Under the agreements
reached during the past three days in Washington, CORE will begin accepting
applications from potential new registrars immediately under a process
outlined in the generic Top Level Domain-Memorandum of Understanding
(gTLD-MOU). Applicants must meet the same financial and technical
requirements as the current 88 CORE registrars. Applications will be audited
by an independent third-party to be chosen in the near future.

    "This reflects the true openness and competitive spirit that CORE stands
for, and the qualities that will be needed to move the Internet forward,"
said Alan Hanson, chairman of the executive committee of CORE.

    Increased demand has exerted growing pressure on the current
registration system, run as a monopoly by Network Solutions (NSI) under a
five-year contract from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that is
scheduled to expire on March 31. IANA and ISOC launched a rigorous public
process in fall 1996 to solve the logjam and lead the Internet toward
self-governance. CORE and the Policy Oversight Committee evolved from this
process and have developed protocols, procedures, systems and software to
administer competitive domain registration.

    "As the Internet approaches 100 million users, these steps will help
ensure that the Internet remains a reliable resource for everyone," said
Donald Heath, president and chief executive officer of the Internet Society.
"The steps taken the past few days establish a unified vision for a
deregulated Internet.

    "This cooperation and commitment to new solutions shows that the private
sector has the prescription for the Internet's growing pains," said Heath,
whose membership includes more than 100 organizations and 7,000 individuals
in 150 countries.

    In addition to indemnification, CORE, IANA, POC, and the Internet
Society agreed on the following principles:

Strong support for continuing recognition of IANA's full authority for
domain name system decisions.
Support for transferring IANA to status as a new nonprofit corporation over
the next three to six months.
Support for IANA maintaining physical control and authority over the root
zone contents
Rolling out registration in the seven new gTLDs individually, allowing a few
weeks in between each introduction.
   --30--NG/sd   KRH/sd

   CONTACT:  The Gable Group
             Tom Gable (tomg@gablegroup.com)
             Dianne Gleason (dianne@gablegroup.com)
             619/234-1300
                  or
             Susan Davis International
             Clarkson Hine (cchine@aol.com)
             Sheila O'Neil
             202/408-0808
                  or
             CORE communications representative
             Greg Hurst (ghurst@link.freedom.com)
             714/253-2357
                  or
             www.gtld-mou.org

   KEYWORD:  DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
   INDUSTRY KEYWORD:  INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET

-----------------------

Jim Fleming
http://www.unir.com/images/architech.gif
http://www.quicknet.net
http://www.unir.com/images/address.gif
http://www.unir.com/images/headers.gif
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/130dftmail/unir.txt
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/sdks/platform/tpipv6/start.asp


--
This message was passed to you via the ga-full@dnso.org list.
Send mail to majordomo@dnso.org to unsubscribe
("unsubscribe ga-full" in the body of the message).
Archives at http://www.dnso.org/archives.html