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Domain Names
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GoDaddy is making a push to take control of the “.us” top
level domain (TLD). Along with Afilias, a provider of
registry services, the two firms have teamed up to create a joint venture
seeking to become the registry operator of usTLD. The firm’s intentions became
known when the venture submitted a proposal to the U.S. Department of
Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
The venture cites several improvements over the current
operator, Neustar. Specifically, the venture promises reduced pricing,
“enhanced locality support to enable every city and town in America to have its
own dedicated space within the usTLD (e.g. anytown.us),” and improved security
and marketing.
Bottom Line:
While NTIA is unlikely to make a quick switch, the proposal seems to supply
some substantive improvements that would likely be welcome for a TLD that has,
by all accounts, underperformed compared to other nations’ TLDs. If Neustar
fails to meet the challenge there is a real possibility of the GoDaddy/Afilias
venture being successful in its takeover bid.
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