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Subject: NSF PR 98-17: NSF AND NSI END INTERNET INTELLECTUAL
: INFRASTRUCTURE FUND PORTION OF DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION FEES
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/pr9817.htm
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March 16, 1998
NSF PR 98-17
Media contact:
Beth Gaston
(703) 306-1070/[email protected]
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NSF AND NSI END INTERNET INTELLECTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUND PORTION OF DOMAIN
NAME REGISTRATION FEES
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI)
today announced the end of the Internet Intellectual Infrastructure Fund
portion of domain name registration charges. As a result, the annual fee for
domain name registration, which has been $50 since fees were imposed in
1995, will decline to $35, reducing the cost of domain name registration by
30 percent. The change will be effective April 1, 1998.
The Internet Intellectual Infrastructure Fund was created to offset
government funding for the preservation and enhancement of the intellectual
infrastructure of the Internet. More than $45.5 million has been deposited
into the fund to date.
On March 12, the cooperative agreement between NSF and NSI was amended to
stop contribution to the fund consistent with recommendations in the Clinton
Administration draft discussion paper, "DNS Management Proposed Rule and
Request for Public Comment (Improvement of Technical Management of Internet
Names and Addresses)" -- commonly referred to as the "green paper." March 31
marks the end of the originally defined operational period in the agreement
between NSF and NSI. Given the amount of the fund, NSF no longer believes it
necessary to continue charging a percentage of the registration fee for the
preservation and enhancement of the Internet's intellectual infrastructure.
NSF has indicated that registration services for the Internet are now a
self-sustaining activity and are beyond the mission of the agency which is
to support science and engineering research and education. NSF does not
intend to renew or recompete any agreement for registration services.
Domain name registration is the process by which an alpha character string
(e.g., nsf.gov) -- by which people navigate the Internet -- becomes
associated with the twelve-digit Internet Protocol (IP) number which
computers on the network actually use to locate and communicate with each
other. In 1993, the National Science Foundation awarded a five-year
cooperative agreement to Network Solutions, Inc. for registration services.
Network Solutions is currently responsible for registration services for
four top level domains: .edu for institutions of higher learning; .org for
non-profit organizations; .net for network service providers; and .com for
commercial organizations (the fastest growing realm). In 1997, the General
Services Administration assumed responsibility for registration in the .gov
domain, which is reserved for U.S. federal agencies.
Fees for domain name registration services began in September 1995, as the
demand for Internet registration became largely (97 percent) commercial and
grew by orders of magnitude, exceeding NSF's ability to fund the
registration. The NSF authorized NSI to begin charging a fee for domain name
registration and set aside 30% for the Internet Intellectual Infrastructure
Fund. No money from the fund has yet been spent.
The future administration of domain name registration, particularly
regarding generic top level domains (such as .com) which are not linked to
any country code (such as .us,) is the subject of the Clinton Administration
draft discussion paper.
-NSF-
Editors: Information about the fund and amounts deposited can be found at:
http://rs.internic.net/announcements/iif-update.html
The Clinton Administration draft discussion paper, "DNS Management Proposed
Rule and Request for Public Comment (Improvement of Technical Management of
Internet Names and Addresses)" can be found at:
http://www.ntia.doc.gov
Bob Broedel, Engineer TEL 850-644-6840
Meteorology Dept, 404 Love Bldg. E-M [email protected]
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY, Tallahassee FL 32306-4520 USA
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