The World Wide Web is getting crowded, or so they say, so the international nonprofit that governs the way the Internet operates decided to see if there was any interest in creating new domains to conquer.
Well, yes, and nearly 2,000 requests were submitted – along with nearly $400 million in application fees – to expand the universe of domains that are currently limited to about 22 generic extensions such as .com, .org., .net, and a couple hundred geographically specific domains.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, commonly known as ICANN, yesterday released the names of the “top-level domain” strings requested and the names of the applicants, with a decision on which ones will survive sometime next year. Among those seeking to be the master of a domain is the Boston Globe, which paid the $185,000 permitting fee for the right to control the extension .boston.
In its application, the Globe says it has the support of the state and the city to conquer the .boston universe and become the portal for all things Hub-related. Which means if the Boston Herald wants to acquire the Internet address of bostonherald.boston, they’ll be paying the Globe for the privilege. Most other city domains, such as .nyc, were sought by the local governments.
“The .BOSTON TLD [top-level domain] aims to become a new on line identity for the city of Boston, its inhabitants, companies, organizations and institutions, managed and supervised by The Boston Globe,” the Globe writes in its mission statement on the application. The Globe adds anyone, not just those who live, work, or govern in Boston, can apply for an address on the extension.
The Globe has no competition for the domain name so it’s likely it will be approved. MIT has also submitted an application for a .mit extension, noting it has hundreds of departments, centers and programs, not to mention nearly 1,800 professors and instructors, all with a vested interest in obtaining a school-specific Web address. Surprisingly, Harvard, which is obsessive about protecting the brand, does not appear to have submitted any requests, nor is anyone else seeking to be the master of the Harvard domain.
Not every domain request will be awarded. Weighing in the decision will be how closely tied an applicant is to the extension, such as .ibm, .aol and .skype, while the awarding of others will be determined by who is best served and what the owner brings to the table. For instance, there are 13 applicants, the most for any name, vying for the treasured .app extension that, with the proliferation of smart phones and tablets, could rival .com.
Google is seeking to get its arms around .love, not to mention it’s looking for .lol, while Microsoft wants to .live and let .live, and is also looking to corner the .office, .windows and .bing names.
At least three companies, two from the United States and one from Canada, are fighting for what could be one of the more popular domains — .sucks. It’s not exactly a new idea: Ralph Nader tried to get ICANN to create the domain in 2000.
The companies say they will price the addresses high enough to ward off frivolous attempts to embarrass big name companies and allow corporations the chance to buy the name to keep it out of enemy hands. The Canadian-based Vox Populi says in its application for the name that it is an ideal, not just a rant.
“The term ‘sucks’ resonates around the globe, its intention clear and understood,” according to the application. “But it is now more than an epithet; it is a call to action. Whether registered by an activist or an executive, this new landscape will be devoted to encouraging an accelerated and legitimate dialog that can lead to improved customer satisfaction and market share.”
Well, that’s just .great.
–JACK SULLIVAN
BEACON HILL
Gov. Deval Patrick’s $1 billion life sciences effort has not generated the job growth its backers projected, the Globe reports.
Rep. John Keenan of Salem says he will move today that the committee he cochairs table the bill expanding the state’s bottle deposit law, the Salem News reports. The Herald editorial page on the irony of the uphill climb the majority of bottle bill supporters in the Legislature face: “The sheep, all of a sudden, want a voice.”
Rep. Robert Fennell of Lynn wrote a letter in 2008 to state regulators in support of an environmental waiver for a developer building a subdivision that spans Peabody and Lynn, the Item reports.
MUNICIPAL MATTERS
The Fall River City Council has increased its effort to try to get a look at the contract of the executive director of the Fall River Office of Economic Development, which is funded mainly by the city.
The Berkshire Eagle weighs in on pit bulls after the mauling of a nine-year-old boy by three of the dogs in Pittsfield.
Lunenburg will close a school after losing a property tax override.
CASINOS
Lawmakers are considering a bill that would bring broader disclosure for casino ballot question spending. Secretary of State William Galvin warns that lawsuits could follow an East Boston-only casino referendum.
ELECTION 2012
The Romney campaign walks a delicate line, bashing the state of the overall economy while holding up a few GOP-led battleground states like Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan.
Sheldon Adelson pumps $10 million into the super PAC backing Romney.
The Republican looks at Scott Brown’s record on abortion for women serving in the military.
Maurice Cunningham, in a CommonWealth column, says a Scott Brown-Elizabeth Warren debate should be focused on the challenges to attaining the American Dream in today’s uneasy economic times.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
The developer of a proposed power plant in Brockton has filed suit against several city officials seeking $68 million in damages and trying to force the city to issue the needed permits.
A Berlin biotech official talks about cooperation and competition with Boston, in a CommonWealth column.
EDUCATION
A poll shows Lawrence parents favor state’s school turnaround plan, State House News reports (via the Eagle-Tribune).
Harvard says it will resume work on its Allston science campus in 2014.
In the words of Alice Cooper, school’s out for summer. Mild winter equals early release.
Grace Potter of the band Grace Potter and the Nocturnals gives a solo concert to her retiring high school music teacher in Vermont, NECN reports.
TRANSPORTATION
A study being released today projects that MBTA ridership could grow by 20 percent by the end of the decade, further stressing a system that carries the highest debt burden of any transit agency in the country. A temporary T bailout bill passes the House, AP reports (via Lowell Sun).
The Republican argues that Bradley International Airport in Connecticut “is our airport, too” and makes a case for more advertising about the Bay State in the airport, though not necessarily representation on the new quasi-public authority now running the airport.
RELIGION
At a gathering of US bishops in Atlanta, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley lamented the controversy over the Vatican’s rebuke of a group of US nuns, though he said there is no room for leeway in honoring basic tenets of the church.
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT
Marion officials are scrambling to develop a bylaw dealing with solar panel arrays after the town meeting approved entering into a lease for leasing the closed landfill for a solar energy project.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to restrict where companies can use fracking technology to look for natural gas, the New York Times reports.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
A 27-year-old Lowell mother is held on $500 cash bail after hitting her daughter and telling police she can discipline her child anyway she wants, the Sun reports.
Methuen police cite 400 drivers for speeding, running red lights, and other violations over a 16-hour period, the Eagle-Tribune reports.
MEDIA
A journalist at the Colorado Springs Gazette is in danger of losing his job for posting a link to a Los Angeles Times article on his personal Facebook page. The LAT article indicated a Boston investment group led by Aaron Kushner will buy the Orange County Register and six other newspapers and then sell off some of the smaller papers, including the Colorado Springs paper, to finance the deal.