Domain Name Group Off to a Smooth Start

The future of the Internet domain name system may be a volatile subject in many quarters, but by all accounts, last week’s widely anticipated Global Incorporation Alliance Workshop (GIAW) conference was anything but rancorous.

Craig Simon of the University of Miami School of International Studies said the crowd of nearly 200, “was more broadly based than I anticipated.” The workshop was sponsored by the International Forum on the White Paper (IFWP), a coalition that includes representatives from the Association of Online Professionals, the Internet Society, the International Chamber of Commerce and others. The group is trying to move forward the process begun with the U.S. Commerce Department’s policy paper on domain names.

The group focused on creating a framework for creation of an interim board that would help set domain naming policies as part of the process one attendee called “creating the new IANA.”

A proposal from the United States Postal service regarding control of the .US domain was not formally discussed, as reported earlier.

Domain name discussions now move to Europe. On July 7, the European Commission is sponsoring a meeting in Brussels. Later this summer, a summit of the various naming interests will convene in Geneva.