Registrants of .com, .net, .org Domains to See Savings

The Internet domain name-related news keeps piling up today with word that
Network Solutions, Inc. will reduce
the cost of registering a new .com, .net, or .org domain name by $30
beginning April 1, 1998.

The price reduction–down from $100 to $70–is accounted for by the
elimination of the Intellectual Infrastructure Fund portion of the fee that
is charged for domain name registrations and renewals.

Network Solutions said the change is pursuant to an amendment to its
Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Effective April 1, users can register a new domain name for $70 for two
years of registration service, with annual renewals costing $35 as opposed
to $50.

Network Solutions said the elimination of the Infrastructure Fund portion
of the fee is in compliance with the Department of Commerce’s recent Green
Paper, “A Proposal to Improve Technical Management of Internet Names and
Addresses.”

Gabe Battista, CEO of Network Solutions, maintained in a statement today
that the fee reduction won’t impact the company’s revenue and earnings.
Battista said the Intellectual Infrastructure Fund portion of the fee was
set aside in a separate account and was not counted as part of company
revenue.

“Moreover, we believe Network Solutions already offers a great value to our
customers building online identities and brands, and this just makes
getting a unique .com identity on the Internet an even greater value,”
Battista added.

In related news today, an international
debate over Internet addresses is growing as the European Union claims
the U.S. plan for managing the domain name system does not do enough to
involve other countries.

Also today, an Internet World Daily exclusive
report takes a look at new Internet-address systems being developed by
Qcommand and Centraal.