U.S. Wants Private Companies to Revamp Internet Address System
Washington, June 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Clinton
administration, looking to get out of the business of supervising
the Internet, is asking private companies to get together to
decide how to better accommodate new sites, or ''domains,'' on
the World Wide Web, the U.S. Commerce Dept. said.
Domains are the tail ends of Internet addresses, such as
''.com'' or ''.org,'' which designate the address as a commercial
or organization site.
''The private sector from around the world is going to have
to band together to create'' a board of directors to address the
issue and monitor compliance said Becky Burr, the associate
administrator for the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration's Office of International Affairs.
''It will not be a government chartered board. We are
relying strictly on the private sector to decide how it will be
set up,'' Burr said.
The government wants Internet experts, electronic
information providers and companies to work together to decide
how the Internet can grow, Burr said. She declined to say what
kind of supervisory role the Clinton administration might play in
the process.
The Clinton administration, which is expected to end its
supervision of Internet domains on Sept. 30, 2000, wants the new
panel to be in place by Oct. 1 1999. It hopes that more companies
will enter the business of assigning ''domains,'' and make the
Internet more accessible to all consumers.
Now, Herndon, Virginia-based Network Solutions Inc. has an
exclusive agreement with the National Science Foundation to
register ''top-level'' domain names. Company officials weren't
immediately available for comment on the administration's plan.
Network Sollutions shares are up 1 1/2 at 34 at midday.
The company plans a teleconference with chief executive
Gabriel A. Battista, to explain its position, at 2 p.m. EDT. The
number for the conference call is 1 (800) 475-0398.
Today's announcement caps an 11-month effort by the U.S.
Commerce Department to revamp the way companies, organizations
and groups register Internet sites with specific ''domain'' addresses.
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