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Domain Name Cooperative Agreement Transferred to Department of CommerceThe National Science Foundation has recently transferred authority to the U.S. Department of Commerce to administer the cooperative agreement under which Internet domain name registration services are provided. Commerce will be negotiating directly with Network Solutions to effect a smooth transition from government oversight to more competitive, private sector management of Internet issues. Network Solutions has registered second level domain names under Internet generic top level domains such as .com, .org, .net and .edu under a cooperative agreement with the United States government (awarded by NSF in 1993). "Network Solutions has done a remarkable job keeping up with an amazing pace of growth, and has brought 'industrial strength' services to the Internet, replacing volunteer services as it matures," said George Strawn, division director for NSF's Advanced Networking Infrastructure and Research. "At the beginning of the agreement, there were 7,500 domain names registered. Today there are more than 2 million." On June 5, 1998, after an extensive public comment process, the Department of Commerce issued a Statement of Policy on the privatization and future administration of the Internet domain name system (DNS). The policy statement describes a process where by a new, globally representative, not-for-profit corporation, formed by the private sector, would assume various responsibilities for DNS management, including development of future policies for domain name registration. (see: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/domainname/6_5_98dns.htm). NSF officials believe that this transition is a positive step for the development of the Internet. The Foundation, an independent federal agency created to support science and engineering research and education, is focused on looking ahead to the Next Generation Internet and its applications. The Internet is now primarily a commercial medium, and the Commerce Department is the appropriate agency to foster the transition of domain name management to the private sector. For more information contact:
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