What is .US?
.US is “America’s Internet Address.” It is the official country
code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States within the global domain
name system (DNS).
What makes .US unique and why do I need it?
.US is the only means to establish an American address on the Internet.
Soon, all U.S. residents, government entities, public service organizations, and
businesses will be able to establish an American identity on the Internet with a
short memorable domain name. (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us,
mycompany.us).
Market research has shown that .US names will be very popular with
consumers for applications like email, digital identity, and personal web sites.
Government and public interest organizations will use .US addresses to
enable citizen-centric e-Gov applications and to serve the needs of the American
people. Businesses will use .US domain names to promote themselves as
American companies to inspire consumer confidence and to encourage consumers to
“buy American.”
Who can register a .US domain name?
Any U.S. citizen or resident, as well as any business or organization, including
federal, state, and local government with a bona fide presence in the United
States can register a .US domain name.
One of the following eligibility requirements must be met:
A natural person (i) who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United
States of America or any of its possessions or territories or (ii) whose
primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its
possessions, or
Any entity or organization that is incorporated within one of the fifty
(50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States
possessions or territories or (ii) organized or otherwise constituted under
the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia,
or any of its possessions or territories, or
An entity or organization (including federal, state, or local government of
the United States, or a political subdivision thereof) that has a bona fide
presence in the United States. See Section B.3.1 of the NeuStar proposal to
the Department of Commerce for details concerning what constitutes a “bona
fide presence.“
Where can I register a second level .US domain name?
Second level domain name registrations will be available through .US-Accredited
Registrars and their resale channel partners. As Registrars complete the accreditation
process, NeuStar will provide contact in information on the Domain Name
Registration page of this web site. No Registrars are currently accredited to
accept second level domain name registrations.
Contact information for Delegated Managers who currently accept registrations
in the existing “locality space” can be found at Delegated
Subdomains and their Contacts.
What is the price of a .US domain name?
Market-based retail prices for .US domain names will be established by .US-Accredited
Registrars and their resale channel partners. The pricing structure will be an
annual subscription fee with multi-year subscriptions available.
What are some of the expected changes to .US?
Soon, for the first time in history, .US registrations will be available
at the second level (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us).
Currently names are only available in the “locality space” at the third
level and above (e.g., www.county.arlington.va.us).
NeuStar will bring operational and technical efficiencies to .US
through our highly secure, highly reliable next-generation registry
architecture. This industry-leading service platform will also enable
innovative, value-added services within .US.
When will second level .US domain names be
available?
Availability of .US domain names at the second level (e.g., johnsmith.us,
publicservice.us, mycompany.us) is expected in the next several months. A phased
introduction schedule will be posted to this web site in the coming months.
Who can become a .US-Accredited Registrar?
Any organization that meets the .US Accreditation criteria can be a
Registrar for .US domain names. The accreditation documents are posted on
the Registrars
section of this web site.
What will happen to existing .US domain names?
Existing .US registrants (domain name holders) within the “locality
space” will retain rights to their existing Internet addresses. In fact,
existing domain name holders will benefit from many of the operational
improvements and improved security and service levels NeuStar will introduce
within .US.
How will current Delegees (Delegated Managers) be
affected?
Delegated Managers will continue to play their existing role in the “locality
space.” Currently, no new delegation requests will be accepted. NeuStar will
be requesting contact information from each of the existing Delegated Managers.
Delegated Managers will be required to meet existing and new operational
procedures designed to improve the overall operational efficiency and improve
service to domain name holders within the locality space.
|