AGN Domain Name Service, Inc. (ADNS  - http://www.adns.net ) saw a 47% increase in the number of users who now use alternative root server networks, indicating further dissatisfaction with the workings of ICANN. ASLAN, the root server operated by ADNS received over 2.4 million hits in December, up from over 20% from November.

ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers was formed to assume control over internet domains and addresses, but has been controversial since its inception due to some of its policies.  Many internet users have been waiting for new top-level domains for years to alleviate the scarcity of "dot.com" names. In mid-November, ICANN announced the selection of several new top-level domains, but many people were upset with their choices.

In addition to this, ICANN is reportedly planning to levy a "tax" on the nations of the world for the privilege of having a country-code top-level domain. In addition to .COM, .NET, .ORG and any new TLD's that ICANN may try to create, each nation has always had the right to have a two-letter "country code" top-level domain that was to be under the control of that nation. This goes back to the founding of the internet. When ICANN suggested that they had the power to charge a tax on these TLDs, several nations began to study the possibility of yanking their CCTLDs from ICANN's root and moving them to an alternative root like ORSC.

John Palmer,  president and CEO of ADNS sees these developments as examples of why the world will finally free itself from ICANN's grip. "Just think of the arrogance necessary to think that they (ICANN) have the right to levy a tax on all of the sovereign nations of the world", Palmer said. "This year, 2001, the real beginning of the new millennium, will bring with it a change in the way that the internet operates and it will be for the better".

Palmer says that he knows of several nations that will switch away from ICANN to alternative root networks, sometime in the first half of 2001. "When that happens" Palmer said, "Its over - ICANN will no longer have a stranglehold on the internet". One of these nations plans on creating a large number of top-level domains, each representing a part of its culture. "ICANN would never do this for them", Palmer said, "but there is no technical reason why it cannot be done right now. Its just that ICANN does not want to give up its control of the Internet".

ADNS owns the three top-level domains "EARTH", "USA" and "Z" and provides internet sites with the ability to register a domain under these top-level domains. ADNS has been providing internet related services since 1993.

Each month, ADNS will offer free registration, web hosting service and domain service for those registering a domain in a specific part of the EARTH, USA or Z hierarchy, provided that they promise to develop public content under that domain name. This month, anyone who registers a domain which ends in MOROCCO.EARTH on January 8 between 4AM and 5AM  Eastern Time will receive free registration, DNS and web hosting services for one year.

ADNS is part of the Open Root Server Consortium (ORSC - http://www.open-rsc.org ), a group of individuals and organizations who are all interested in an open, fair and technically sound global Domain Name System for the internet. ADNS is providing ASLAN free of charge for the use of the internet community.

ADNS  also operates the  internet portal site called http://The.EARTH. This site is accessible to any computer that is pointing to the new DNS servers.

SOURCE: AGN Domain Name Service, Inc.

CONTACT: John Palmer, jp@adns.net /  312-560-3934