AsianScientist (Jun. 20, 2011) – Monday, 20 June, is the day the Internet changed dramatically.
During a board meeting this morning in Singapore, the U.S.-based Internet Corporation for Names and Numbers (ICANN) that controls internet domain names approved a plan to usher in one of the biggest changes ever to the Internet’s Domain Name System. The Board vote was 13 approving, 1 opposed, and 2 abstaining.
The Board voted to finalize the Applicant Guidebook, a document that explains how any established institution (such as a government, business, or non-profit organization) can apply to operate a generic top-level domain (gTLD) of its own choosing.
This means that any organization with enough cash can apply to create own version of familiar TLDs such as .com, .org, or .gov, and could lead to hundreds of new gTLDs by 2013 made of almost any word, in any language. For example, instead of going to facebook.com, you might be able to go to face.book instead.
Nonprofit groups could reserve the .school domain and cities could consolidate their online presence at .nyc or .losangeles.
But this won’t come cheap. The price tag to get a new domain is US$185,000, and only established public or private organizations may apply.
Internet experts believe the initial expansion might bring 500 new options for site suffixes. There are only 22 now, including the original eight, .com, .edu, .gov, .int, .mil, .net, .org, and .arpa.
ICANN will soon begin a global campaign to raise awareness of this dramatic change in Internet names. Applications for new gTLDs will be accepted from January 12 to April 12, 2012.
In 2000, ICANN added 14 new top-level domains, including .biz, .info, and .jobs. However, few of the new names caught on, with .com remaining the standard, despite it being difficult and expensive to own a .com name, with most of the popular names snapped up by domain companies and individuals long ago.
“ICANN has opened the Internet’s naming system to unleash the global human imagination. Today’s decision respects the rights of groups to create new Top Level Domains in any language or script. We hope this allows the domain name system to better serve all of mankind,” said Rod Beckstrom, President and CEO of ICANN.
——
Source: ICANN.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
