Icann's price hike raises industry ire

The UK domain name industry has reacted sceptically to proposals by the president of Icann to reform the way the internet governing body is run.

The industry is particularly concerned by the $30m per year the body is now asking for to do its business.

Dr Willie Black, MD for UK country code registrar Nominet, told silicon.com the organisation needs to concentrate on its core business of administering the root servers, and stop trying to grab other powers.

He said: "While we welcome the acknowledgement that the system is broken, we have major concerns about the powers being sought here. Icann's job is to run the internet's root servers - something they could do for about $2m a year.

"I don't know what it thinks it needs $30m for. What we don't need is some worldwide political internet superpower - we just need a very simple job done well."

Icann - the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - grew out of a US government operation to run a directory of all the top level domains names (TLDs), which are used in every internet address.

If the "root servers" which run this fall down the internet ceases to work. However, as well as administering this - on a largely voluntary basis - Icann has also taken it upon itself to look after the creation of new TLDs, and domain dispute resolution.

The reforms proposed by president Stuart Lynn press for even more powers, and more money to enforce them. The extra money will come partly from industry and partly from an increased role for national governments.

But many in the UK see these extra powers as unnecessary, and don't see why they should pay for them. Black added: "These proposals are for some something far too sprawling, and far too bureaucratic."

His comments mirror criticism made online by the influential chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force, Randy Bush, on Tuesday.

Andy Duff, European director of New.net, which has launched new domain names independent of the Icann system said: "There is now a groundswell of opinion saying Icann should be limited in its powers. Instead of increasing the budgets and expanding the organisation Icann should limit its role to that of a trade organisation.

"Stuart Lynn should ask himself the question - what would the Internet be like if there were no Icann? Many are concluding that the Internet would be a better place."