ICANN

ICANN





By Clare Lawrence 12th June 2004





Network solutions used to be the sole organisation responsible for the management of domain name registration.





However in 1998 the US government and other bodies called for the formation on a not-for-profit organization to oversee the Internet's functionality.





As virtually everything on the internet is connected via domain names then is soon becomes clear how important ICANN is.





ICANN plays a significant part in the resolution of domain name registration disputes, and has a budget of approximately $7.5 million.





ICANN's structure is currently under review in an attempt to become more flexible.





Companies that are accredited can issue domain names directly, the process of accrediation is fairly vigorous. Companies that are not accredited are resellers.





Members of ICANN pay a fixed fee per annum for membership then a variable element based on the number of domain names they register.





ICANN members enjoy access to wholesale pricing and the credibility accreditaion brings