US Seeks Alternative Domain Name Plan

Mon May 5 14:49:46 UTC 1997

          by Rebecca Vesely 

          6:14pm  2.May.97.PDT The Clinton administration, dissatisfied 
	  with a new international agreement on the
          registration of domain names and other key Net issues, has 
          directed a working group to amend the
          system, a government official told Wired News on Friday. 

          The official, who is knowledgeable about the policy discussions 
          and spoke on condition of
          anonymity, said that the US initiative is aimed at easing
	  emerging disputes over the International
          Ad Hoc Committee's pact and creating a more tangible mechanism 
          for handling far-reaching Net
          issues. 

          "While we feel that the IAHC has done a good job, we are 
          concerned about numerous aspects of
          their plan," the official said. A central problem, the official 
          added, was the role assigned to the
          UN-affiliated International Telecommunications Union and World 
          Intellectual Property Organization without approval from member 
          states. 

Full text available at http://www.wired.com/news/politics/story/3603.html