[ga] Verisign to get to keep .net?

[Joop Teernstra <terastra@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> ICANN hired an outside firm, Telcordia Technologies Inc., to evaluate the 
> ".net" applications to avoid any appearance of conflicts given the pending 
> lawsuit.
>
> In its application, the Mountain View, Calif.-based VeriSign stressed 
> stability and experience, while its rivals, all formally based outside the 
> United States, played up their international appeal and the need for 
> competition.
>
> VeriSign now has about two weeks to negotiate a new contract with ICANN 
> staff, after which ICANN's board and the U.S. government must sign off on 
> the renewal. ICANN will concurrently hold a public comment period.
>
> Any renewal would take effect July 1.
>
> If VeriSign and ICANN cannot finalize a deal, ICANN will begin talks with 
> the second-ranked applicant, Sentan Registry Services Inc., a partnership 
> between the operators of ".biz" and Japan's ".jp."
>
> The third-ranked bidder is Afilias Ltd., operator of ".info," followed by 
> DENIC, operator of Germany's ".de," and Core++, a consortium that includes 
> Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica.

From an AP news release.

--Joop--

www.icannatlarge.com