Internet to get new domain names

Internet to get new domain names
27 Jun 2008, 1149 hrs IST,AP

NEW YORK: The Internet's key oversight agency relaxed rules Thursday to permit the introduction of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of new Internet domain names to join ".com," making the first sweeping changes in the network's 25-year-old address system.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers unanimously approved the new guidelines as weeklong meetings in Paris concluded. ICANN also voted unanimously to open public comment on a separate proposal to permit addresses entirely in non-English languages for the first time.

New names won't start appearing until at least next year, and ICANN won't be deciding on specific ones quite yet. The organization still must work out many details, including fees for obtaining new names, expected to exceed $100,000 apiece to help ICANN cover up to $20 million in costs.

Domain names help computers find Web sites and route e-mail. Adding new suffixes can make it easier for Web sites to promote easy-to-remember names -- given that many of the best ones have been claimed already under ".com."

New names could cover locations such as ".nyc" and ".berlin" or industries such as ".bank." The hefty application fees could curb a rush for individual vanity names, though larger companies might claim brands like ".disney."

The new guidelines would make it easier for companies and groups to propose new suffixes. ICANN had accepted bids in 2000 and 2004, but reviews took much time, and one -- ".post" for postal services --remains pending more than four years later. Ultimately, only 13 have been approved in those two rounds.

The streamlined guidelines call for applicants to go through an initial review phase, during which anyone may raise an objection on such grounds as racism, trademark conflicts and similarity to an existing suffix. If no objection is raised, approval would come quickly.

Some ICANN board members expressed concerns that the guidelines could turn the organization into a censorship regime, deciding what could be objectionable to someone, somewhere in the world.

"If this is broadly implemented, this recommendation would allow for any government to effectively veto a string that makes it uncomfortable," said Susan Crawford, a Yale law professor on the board. She voted in favor of the rule changes, but called for more clarity later.


None of the new names is likely to dethrone ".com" as the world's leader, and critics fear new suffixes will merely force companies and organisations to spend more money registering names such as "microsoft.paris" simply so others can't. Legal battles are possible over common but trademarked names like ".apple."

The other proposal before ICANN would permit addresses entirely in non-English characters for the first time. Specific countries would be put on a "fast track" to receive the equivalent of their two-letter country code, such as Bulgaria's ".bg," in a native language.

The ICANN board said it would seek public comment on the guidelines before its next major meeting in November.

Demand for such names has been increasing around the world as Internet usage expands to people who cannot speak English or easily type English characters. Addresses partly in foreign languages are sometimes possible today, but the suffix has been limited to 37 characters: a-z, 0-9 and the hyphen.

In other action, ICANN approved recommendations designed to clamp down on domain name tasting -- the online equivalent of buying new clothes on a charge card only to return them for a full refund after wearing them to a big party.

A loophole in registration policies now allows entrepreneurs to grab domain names risk-free for up to five days to see whether they generate enough traffic and advertising dollars. That practice ties up millions of Internet addresses, making it even more difficult for individuals and businesses to find good names in the crowded ".com" space.

The new guidelines would withhold refunds if too many are returned

Free Broadband Plan Delayed

FCC Chief's Free Broadband Plan Delayed
By JOHN DUNBAR Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON June 6, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press


A plan by the nation's top telecommunications regulator to provide free wireless high-speed Internet service hit a snag this week over concerns about possible interference and a proposed censoring feature that upset free speech advocates.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin told The Associated Press on Thursday that the plan will not be voted on at the June 12 meeting as first promised, but he hopes to present it to the full commission in July.

"I want to be clear that I am still very supportive of the cause of providing a lifeline broadband service across the country," he said.

Under the plan, the FCC would auction 25 megahertz of spectrum — a sizable chunk — to a single bidder who would use it to build a nationwide network and dedicate about 25 percent of it for the broadband service.

The concept first was envisioned by wireless startup M2Z Networks Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif. The company asked the FCC to let it use the same frequencies in the current plan so it could offer a free nationwide broadband service.

In exchange, the company would pay the federal government a percentage of revenues earned on sales generated from advertising on the resulting network.

The FCC rejected the proposal because it meant giving the airwaves to the company without it bidding against other carriers for the rights.

Martin said some wireless companies whose frequencies are near those of the proposed network voiced concerns that it may create interference. He also said some were worried about a plan to filter offensive content that could be accessed on the network that might be inappropriate for children.

The chairman said he supports allowing adults to opt out of the filtered service.

Martin said he decided not to put the issue on the June agenda to give other commissioners more time to consider the proposal.

Under Martin's tentative plan, the network that would be built using the airwaves must reach 50 percent of the population in four years and 95 percent after 10 years.