The Irish chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC) is understood to have established a working group to monitor issues surrounding the national .IE domain as well as its management under the .IE Domain Name Registry (IEDR). The purpose of the group will be to establish a consensus on the best principles for governing the .IE domain.
According to Irish internet industry insiders, .IE domain names in are among the most expensive in the world and the most awkward to attain.
The agency responsible for managing and rewarding the .IE domains, the IEDR, has been dogged by controversy for the past three years over how it has been run financially and the way in which domains are awarded in Ireland, culminating in the high profile sacking of its former CEO Mike Fagan.
The registry recently published its financial results for the first time in two years and reported an operating loss of €1.2m for 2002. As a result of the ongoing controversy surrounding its running, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Dermot Ahern TD, ruled that the IEDR falls the regulation of the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) to rule out further foul play.
The group chair of ISOC Antoin O’Lachtnain said: “The group will publish its conclusions in a formal report and this will be communicated to the public and to the Irish Government.”
O’Lachtnain said that individuals and organisations interested in participating in the work can join its mailing list at: http://ireland.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/dotie-wg
By John Kennedy
