Three new domains may be added in 2003

NOVEMBER 11, 2002

Internet users may start typing three new suffixes into their Web browsers next year, as the group that oversees the Internet's addressing system has recently said that it will be calling for proposals to create new top level domains (TLD). 

In a statement released Friday, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) President Stuart Lynn said that he is recommending the creation of three sponsored TLDs. 

Sponsored domains are created for specific community groups, unlike generic domains such as ".com" and ".org." Existing sponsored domains include suffixes such as ".museum" which could be used by any museum that wished to apply for a domain name with that extension. 

ICANN's board could vote on the new TLDs as early as December at the group's annual meeting, paving the way for new addresses to become available sometime next year. 

Lynn said that sponsored domains are easier to implement than generic ones, while filling "demonstrable community needs." 

The call for the new domains comes as the group is still in the process of evaluating the seven TLDs that it approved in 2000, including ".biz" and ".info." Stuart believes, however, that approval of the sponsored TLDs could be streamlined, enabling them to be implemented even while the group is still evaluating the other domains. 

More details at: http://www.computerworld.com/developmenttopics/websitemgmt/story/0,10801,75816,00.html

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