THE European Commission has written to the US government challenging
American-led proposals for new Internet domains.
To cope with the mushrooming numbers of businesses and private individuals
setting up sites on the Net, the Internet Ad Hoc Committee has proposed seven
new “top-level” domains鈥攖he last few letters of an Internet
address鈥攖o add to the existing .org, .net, .com and others. It proposes
that all domains be managed by 28 organisations chosen by lottery.
But the Commission argues that some of the new names鈥攕uch as
.store鈥攁re too American. Its letter also casts doubt on a lottery as the
best way to assign responsibility. “There are some details of the proposals we
feel are inappropriate,” says a spokesman.
