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Internet Domain Names
By Roger Cochetti
The Issues
To what extent should the private sector-as opposed to governments-manage
the infrastructure of addressing on the Internet?
As an experiment in nongovernmental, international management
of the Internet, how has the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN) fared? What lessons can we learn that
are relevant to other global Internet system management questions?
Given the unusual nature of the medium-in that it permits largely
domestic networks (closed ccTLD networks) to coexist with global
networks (open gTLD networks)-can these two different approaches
to the Internet continue to cooperate with each other? What are
the strengths and weaknesses of each? What evolution is likely?
The Players
- Governments
- Intergovernmental organizations
- gTLD registries and registrars
- ICANN Board of Trustees and management
- ccTLD registries and registrars
- Registrants, including merchants, noncommercial entities, and
individuals
The Forums
- ICANN Board of Trustees and councils
- ICANN Government Advisory Committee
- International Telecommunications Union
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- European Union
- U.S. government
The Prospects
- Role of nongovernmental solutions: very long-term debate, with
shifting experiments
- Lessons from ICANN: medium-term lessons to be learned and applied
- Role of ccTLDs versus that of gTLDs: short-term issue with accommodations
likely
What the Private Sector Is Doing
- Participating in policy debates
- Influencing industry groups
- Identifying and pursuing shareholders' interests
What You Can Do
- Participate in policy debates
- Influence governments and nongovernmental bodies
For more information, contact:
- ICANN
- U.S. government
- European Union
- Individual companies such as Network Solutions and register.com
- WIPO
- Nonprofits and think tanks such as the Center for Democracy and
Technology
About the Author
Roger Cochetti is an executive with Network Solutions, the registry
for the major open gTLDs-.com, .net, and .org-and a major registrar
for all Internet names.
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