ICANN Archives - ETCentric

The U.S. Government Relinquishes its Control of the Internet

By ETCentric
October 3, 2016

As of October 1, an agreement with the Commerce Department expired and the “National Telecommunications and Information Administration no longer exercises control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which has long been the manager of Internet domain names,” reports Digital Trends. ICANN will now serve as an independent non-profit that will “answer to international stakeholders across the Internet community, including a governmental advisory committee, a technical committee, industry committee, Internet users, and telecommunications experts.” A lawsuit filed by four states to block the plan “failed when a Texas federal judge refused to issue an injunction,” notes Yahoo Tech. Continue reading The U.S. Government Relinquishes its Control of the Internet

U.S. Renews Contract with ICANN, Delays Giving Up Oversight

By Rob Scott
August 18, 2015

The Department of Commerce announced that it would renew its contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for one year (with options to extend it another three years), delaying its plans to relinquish oversight of one aspect of Internet governance. Commerce has overseen ICANN’s management of the Internet’s domain-name system since 1998. But last year, the Obama administration proposed transferring the oversight to international stakeholders, a plan that has met criticism regarding the potential impact to free expression. Continue reading U.S. Renews Contract with ICANN, Delays Giving Up Oversight

New Domain Names: Get Ready for the Dot-Everything Boom

By Cassie Paton
January 24, 2014

Around 1,000 new domain names are about to be added to the Internet, and as a result, on February 4th, anyone will be able to scoop up new Web addresses using these domains. The common standard domain names are the .com, .org and .net suffixes. But the number of generic top-level domain names (or gTLDs) will soon expand to include names like .coffee, .soy, .dot and .lol, among many others. This major shift could resemble the online real estate market of the dot-com boom era. Continue reading New Domain Names: Get Ready for the Dot-Everything Boom

ICANN Approves Historic Change to Internet Domains

By Rob Scott
June 21, 2011

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the international non-profit organization that governs website domains, has voted to allow custom, top-level, generic domains for those willing to pay.
“The era of .google, .microsoft and .apple is coming as ICANN decides to let organizations apply for custom domain suffixes.”
The proposed plan is expected to dramatically increase the number of Internet domain name endings from the current 22 generic offerings, by allowing domain names to end with almost any word in any language.
The Board vote was 13 approving, 1 opposed, and 2 abstaining.
The $185K fee and $25K annual cost is intended to deter cybersquatting and ensure applicants are not violating trademark rights.
“Many of the biggest brands are planning to apply for their .brand TLD, but many marketing leaders I’ve talked with look at this as a nuisance and are skeptical about whether Internet users will embrace them,” wrote Forrester analyst Jeff Ernst, in a blog post.