Management of Internet Names and Addresses

On June 5, 1998, the U.S. Department Of Commerce (DOC) issued a statement of policy concerning the Domain Name System, titled Management of Internet Names and Addresses. Called the "White Paper," the statement indicated that the U.S. government was prepared to recognize and enter into an agreement with “a new not-for-profit corporation formed by private sector Internet stakeholders to administer policy for the Internet name and address system.”

In deciding upon an entity with which to enter such an agreement, the U.S. government would assess whether the new system ensured stability, competition, private and bottom-up coordination, and fair representation of the Internet community as a whole. The White Paper endorsed a process whereby the divergent interests of the Internet community would come together and decide how Internet names and addresses would be managed and administered. The White Paper also signaled DOC’s intention to ramp down the government’s Cooperative Agreement with Network Solutions, Inc. NSI, with the objective of introducing competition into the domain name space while maintaining stability and ensuring an orderly transition.