Congress grills Cerf over Icann bias claims

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the group responsible for running the architecture of the Web, has faced a barrage of criticism in the US since announcing seven new top-level domain names in November.

Critics claim Icann ignored several obvious choices like dot-web and dot-health, choosing obscure or confusing options like dot-coop and dot-biz instead. Many domain registrars are also unhappy at the $50,000 application fee charged by Icann.

In a written testimony published this week, Cerf claimed the process needs time to work. "Like location in real estate, the three most important goals of Icann are stability, stability, stability," he wrote.

The US House of Representative's Energy and Commerce Committee will take evidence about the selection procedure used to choose the new domains, particularly the issues of competition and transparency.

It's not the first time Icann has been accused of being uncompetitive. It has striven recently to change its image and widen its appeal in October, it elected five new members to the board to represent the organisation's ordinary users.