Wikipedia and Google, among other websites, decided to shut down at midnight last night in order to protest the recent anti-piracy bills that have been passing through U.S Congress. The bill in congress was identified as PIPA and SOPA, and critics say it could cripple freedom of speech for the internet. The website, Wikipedia.com, says that they will not being able to continue giving free use to users and will have trouble operating. The company claims that they are in support of copyright infringement laws, but are not in favor how the law is written and say it just needs to be reconstituted.  News of the shutdown peaked interest on social networks, and was of the  highest talked about issues.People seem to want a resolution that will be reasonable to users and the entertainment industries. Wikipedia on Thursday morning thanked users for participating in the protest, which gathered more than 150 million people to support it. To read further on this topic please click here for CNN and here for eCommerce Times.

ICANN chairman saw little value in delaying a ICANN release of the new gTLD program, when critics have not found a specific problem that they needed to change in order to not delay the release. With the release of the the application, the cost to buy a new domain has a  huge application fee attached to it   of 185,000. The applicants will be able to push away from the traditional .dot com’s and will be able to have a new ending, opening all sorts of marketing strategies. The Federal Trade Commission claims that the new system will be able to create fraudulent websites and confuse users. However, ICANN says they have set up significant amount of time and financial interests aside to assure the success of the program. The concern is for users to become victims of internet cyber-hackers who pray on misspellings of websites. To read further on this topic click here.

ICANN was ready for the New gTLD Launch. Michael Salazar, the new programs director for the gTLD program was confident that the new launch would bring success.Every group and sect of ICANN was prepared for the launch according to the Director. The package for applicants is available at http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/ and all applicants should have their paper work resolve by April 12th, 2012.  To read further on this subject please click here.

The Internet made a new stride yesterday and is emerging  with possibilities for anyone to register web address suffixes for 185,000 dollars. This launch is the  so-called dot brand names and has endless opportunities for marketers to make brand new images for companies online. These new changes have not gone well with the federal trade commission and warned businesses that this new gTLD system could be a nightmare. Forty of the world’s largest companies have already complained to ICANN and to FTC that this will increase costs and they don’t see the benefit.  Applicants have until April 12th to sign up. The first domains will be seen in 2013.  To read further on this story click here.

From December 23^rd 2011 to January 10^th 2012 get 15% off for transferring your domains to 101domain.

Our trained transfer specialists will be able to assist you to make the transfer process quick and simple.

Visit 101domain.com now and enter Coupon 3081986004 at the check out, or email us at  transfers@101domain.com.

The African Registry Consortium (ARC) is bidding its case for the ownership of .AFRICA to several players involved in co.za domain name space in South Africa, currently under the administration of Uniform SA. However, another entrepreneur Njeri Rionge, Forbes magazine most success women from Africa, is also vying for the .AFRICA domain.  The .AFRICA name is seen as a way for the continent to come together and have a true African identity and highlight the operations going on in Africa.  Both parties are planning to submit their bids to ICANN which will close the window for such applications by January 12, 2012.  Due to the high costs of the domain, ICANN is anticipating a collaboration of some sorts and is hoping that the .AFRICA domain will be up and running by 2013. Please click here for further information.

 

Like the successes of dotEU and dotAsia, dotAfrica (.africa) will create a new Internet identity for African users and businesses who seek a greater regional presence than what an African country can provide.

Endorsement by the African Union goes back to August 2009 where the benefit of the new gTLD working with the ccTLDs could promote trust and use in order to bring financial, economic and social cultural benefits to Africa.

It is proposed that a portion of the revenue of the TLD will be reinvested back into the community, and the value added to the namespace will provide registrants enhanced establishment of their Internet presence in the emergent African population.

Pending approval from ICANN, .africa will join the over 1000 domain extensions available to search at 101domain.com for your domain registration needs.  Visit us at 101domain.com today!

For those waiting on information on the .CM (Cameroon ccTLD) go live date, which, as we announced in this month’s newsletter, had been delayed due to server problems, here is the latest:

* Sunrise domains which have been validated and had at least two name
servers were connected on August 28, 2009.

* All landrush domains that had only a single application and at least two
name servers defined have also been connected on August 28, 2009.

* The extension is now LIVE – as of September 18, 2009 at 08:00am UTC.

If you are looking to register some .CM domains, here is the pricing for your reference:

GO LIVE PRICING:
1yr: $199
2 yrs: $390.00
5 yrs: $899.00

You can visit the .CM Domains Page for more information and to begin your registration! If you have any questions, please contact one of our domain specialists for assistance, and thank you for your patience as the process to get this extension live was delayed!

Ambitions For Angola & Africa In The Digital World

History Of Internet In Angola:

* Angola joins the Regional Information Society Network for Africa (RINAF) that was initiated in 1992 as a framework for UNESCO’s support for African co-operation to promote academic and public sector computer networking.

* Considering that Angola had to involve itself in the PII (International Informatics Program) which included RINAF, a delegation from Agostinho Neto University attended the V session of the IIP committee where It presented a paper entitled “L’Informatique Dans Le Secteur Publique en Republique d’Angola”.

* Pursuing this objective on 28th August 1996 Angola was formally and technically connected to the Internet with the support of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) and of Fundação para a Computação Científica Nacional (FCCN) both from Portugal.

State Of Internet In Angola:

* Domain registration started in 1997

* Sub-domains classification “.co.ao” “.it.ao” “.gov.ao”
“.ed.ao” “.pb.ao” “.og.ao”

* Strong technical support from FCCN – Portugal

* Hosting of the “.ao” root by FCCN

* 700 domains are registered today

A New Step For Angola:

* Strong investments on the Internet

* Prices reduced by 50% for domain names registration

* Specific DNS support for Angolan engineers

* A will to enter international domain name market

* Launch of a new generation of Internet Services in
Angola for “.it.ao” & “.co.ao”

* Promotion of peering links between operators

A Quest For The Best Solution:

* Selection of a high end Registry solution: FRED

* Development of a Java Connector to interconnect FRED
with the Registrar

* Integration of the EPP protocol (FRED style)

* Java connector available as an Open-Source at www.afrinet.eu

* Development of the first Angolan Registrar

* A plan to add more Registrar in the near future

A Digital Future For Angola:

* Partnership with local ISP’s

* New international connection to the Internet

* Development of a large scale hosting facility in Luanda

* New products derived from domain name registration
Mail services

* Hosting services

* All African countries are most welcome to join this
cooperation program

* Angola and the International partners can provide
support for the implementation of a similar project

24 June 2008 (source: www.icann.org)

18 November 2008

The 2009 ICANN Nominating Committee (Nom Com) has been convened and met for the first time on 7-8 November, immediately following the 33rd International ICANN Public Meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

Prior to the Cairo meeting, on 28 August 2008, the ICANN Board appointed Tricia Drakes as Nom Com Chair. Tricia has selected Alan Levin as Associate Chair. Due to the bylaws, Hagen Hultzsch, the previous Nom Com Chair will serve as an advisor to the current Nom Com.

2009 Nom Com will select:

* Three members of the ICANN Board of Directors
* Three members of the At Large Advisory Committee (for the African, Asia/Australia/Pacific, and Latin American regions)
* Two members of the Council of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
* One member of the Council of the Country-Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)
* Those selected by the Nom Com will take their seats at the end of the 2009 ICANN Annual Meeting, 30 October 2009.

First tasks of the Committee were to begin work on procedures and a timeline for activities during 2008-2009. The Nom Com’s 2009 website will be available soon, and candidate recruitment is anticipated to begin on 30 November 2008.

The Nom Com intends to hold a workshop during the ICANN meeting in Mexico City (1-6 March 2009, see http://mex.icann.org/) to provide information about progress and process and answer questions. The date of the workshop will be confirmed once the Mexico City meeting schedule is finalized.

The following individuals have been appointed to the 2009 Nominating Committee:

Tricia Drakes – Chair
Alan Levin – Associate Chair
Hagen Hultzsch – Advisor to Chair (as previous Chair of the Nom Com)
Klaus Birkenbihl – TLG Group, W3C
Margarita Valdes Cortes – ccNSO Representative
Ute Decker – GNSO, Intellectual Property Constituency
Matias Altamira Gigena – ALAC, Latin American and Caribbean
Hartmut Glaser – Address Supporting Organization
Caroline Greer – GNSO, Registry Constituency
Jan Gruntorad – Higher Education Representative
Rob Hall – GNSO, Registrars Constituency
Ole Jacobsen – Internet Engineering Task Force
Rodney Joffe – Security and Stability Advisory Committee (non-voting liaison)
Norbert Klein – GNSO, Non-Commercial Users Constituency
Khaled Koubaa – ALAC, Africa
Phil Lodico – GNSO, Business Constituency (Large)
Bill Manning – Root Server System Advisory Committee (non-voting liaison)
Desiree Miloshevic – ALAC, Europe
Ross Rader – ALAC, North America
Greg Ruth – GNSO, Internet Service Providers Constituency
Liz Williams – GNSO, Business Constituency (Small)
Hong Xue – ALAC, Asia/Australia/Pacific Representative

The Nom Com website can be found at http://nomcom.icann.org. Further information on the invitation for statements of interests in ICANN leadership positions will be posted in the near future.

18 November 2008 (source: www.icann.org.)