The United States Department of Commerce’s (Department) National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) which administers the contract for the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States, “.US” (usTLD) has opened up the comment period on the contract to run the .US extension.
The current contract expires on August 31, 2013.
Neustar, Inc (NSR) operates the .US extension under the current contract.
“Given the expiration date of this contract, NTIA is seeking input from interested parties on the policies and requirements that should govern the usTLD”.”
NTIA will utilize the comments received in response to this Notice in the procurement process leading to the award of a new usTLD contract”.
“Comments due on or before March 4, 2013″“NTIA is committed to maintaining a stable, secure Internet that is open for economic growth and innovation. One of the many ways that NTIA supports this commitment is through its role in administering the contract for the operation of the usTLD. ”
“The usTLD has historically served as a home for American business, individuals, and localities for the benefit of the nation’s Internet community. The current contract expires on August 31, 2013.
“Given the expiration date of this contract, NTIA is seeking input from interested parties on the policies and requirements that should govern the usTLD. Comments received in response to this Notice will inform the procurement process leading to the award of a new usTLD contract”.
“NTIA’s goal is that the usTLD be attractive to both business and individual users, be open to and encourage innovation, growth and use of the space, and reflect the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. This notice of inquiry (NOI) seeks to meet that goal by requesting public comment on current policies and how they could be updated to better serve the community’s needs. This NOI also seeks views as to how the usTLD can be managed consistent with the multistakeholder model; for example, by developing a mechanism for public input and community engagement in policy development for the usTLD space”.
“Currently, the usTLD is comprised of approximately 1,786,738 domains.
“The current structure also includes the operations of an estimated 3,666 “delegated managers” in the usTLD within the locality name space.
“Recognizing the value of the continued operation of the usTLD, NTIA initiated a procurement process for the usTLD contract, selecting Neustar, Inc. in 2001, for a term of six years. NTIA again initiated a procurement process for the usTLD contract in 2007 and again selected Neustar, Inc.
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