Notice of a Cooperative Agreement with EDUCAUSE

[Federal Register: April 12, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 71)]
[Notices]               
[Page 18913-18914]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12ap01-30]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration; 
Notice of a Cooperative Agreement with EDUCAUSE for Management of .edu 
Domain Name Space

AGENCY: National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of a cooperative agreement with EDUCAUSE.

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SUMMARY: The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 
(NTIA) announces that it intends to enter into a cooperative agreement 
for the management of the .edu domain name space with EDUCAUSE, an 
association whose mission is to represent the policy, strategy, and 
operations interests for networking and information technology needs of 
higher education institutions. This cooperative agreement will 
facilitate policy development and technical operations of the .edu 
domain by a single responsible entity and provide a framework for the 
administration of the .edu domain.
    The transition of operational and policy implementation functions 
for the .edu domain through a cooperative agreement to a single entity 
with strong ties to the education community is intended to constitute 
the selection of a successor registry for the .edu domain as described 
in Amendment 21 of Cooperative Agreement NCR 92-18742 \1\ and is 
consistent with policies outlined in the Department of Commerce's 
Statement of Policy, often referred to as the White Paper.\2\
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    \1\ Cooperative Agreement, as amended, NCR-9218742, see 
especially Amendment 21, available at www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/
domainname/agreements/amendment21.htm.
    \2\ See Management of Internet Names and Addresses, Statement of 
Policy, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
Department of Commerce, 63 FR 31741 (June 10, 1998).

    Authority: National Science Foundation Act of 1950, as amended, 
42 U.S.C. 1861-75, and specifically 42 U.S.C. 1870(c), (j); National 
Telecommunications and Administrative Organization Act, 47 U.S.C. 
901 et seq.; and Presidential Memorandum of Electronic Commerce, A 
Framework for Global Electronic Commerce, 33 Weekly Comp. 
Presidential Documents 1006 (July 1, 1997), which directs the 
Secretary of Commerce to transition Domain Name System management to 
the private sector.

Background

    The .edu domain is the top level domain (TLD) of the Internet 
domain name system (DNS) that was established for use by educational 
institutions. Currently, it is generally restricted to use by four-year 
degree granting higher education institutions. Community and two-year 
colleges are not currently eligible for a .edu domain, although through 
the award of this cooperative agreement EDUCAUSE intends to implement a 
policy more responsive to the needs of this community. Also, higher 
educational institutions are

[[Page 18914]]

generally restricted to one .edu registration. Network Solutions 
currently provides registry/registrar services for the .edu domain 
names pursuant to Cooperative Agreement NCR-9218742 with the 
Department. The cooperative agreement will be made exclusively with 
EDUCAUSE. No other administering organization is being solicited with 
this notice. EDUCAUSE has the requisite technical and organizational 
capability as well as the educational community support to 
appropriately administer .edu. EDUCAUSE is a non-profit organization 
that emerged from the consolidation of two prominent higher education 
technology associations--CAUSE and Educom--since 1964. As an 
association with over 1,800 college and university members, it has 
represented the developers of the campus, regional, and national 
networking for higher education. EDUCAUSE currently operates an 
extensive web-based information system for external and internal 
communications with members of the public. One of EDUCAUSE's primary 
purposes is improving and transforming the use of information 
technology resources across college and university campuses. EDUCAUSE 
is uniquely qualified and best able to administer the .edu domain name 
space because of the following factors:
     EDUCAUSE is a non-profit association that advocates the 
development and management of networking for higher education and has 
widespread community respect on issues of Internet policy and 
technology. It represents information technology issues for higher 
education.
     With membership of over 1,800 higher educational 
institutions, EDUCAUSE has the support of significantly interested 
parties to implement the policy and be the technical administrator of 
the .edu domain. Specifically, EDUCAUSE's proposal to administer the 
.edu domain name space has the support of the American Council on 
Education, Association of American Universities, National Association 
of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, American Association of 
State Colleges and Universities, Council of Independent Colleges, and 
the American Association of Community Colleges. EDUCAUSE is committed 
to and has demonstrated that it will represent the interests of .edu 
stakeholders while administering .edu through a transparent and open 
policy development process.
     EDUCAUSE has a unique background in higher education 
institutional technology, resources and networking, and is technically 
capable of managing the .edu domain services ensuring continued 
stability of the .edu domain name space.
    This cooperative agreement will be awarded for a 5-year period to 
be renewed indefinitely upon satisfactory performance. The cooperative 
agreement will be at no cost to the Federal government, and EDUCAUSE 
will only be able to recover its cost of administering the .edu domain 
services. Continuation awards within the project period will be made on 
the basis of satisfactory progress.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Cheney, Office of Chief Counsel, 
National Telecommunications and Information Administration, telephone 
(202) 482-1816; or electronic mail, scheney@ntia.doc.gov.

    Dated: April 6, 2001.
Kathy Smith,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 01-8980 Filed 4-11-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-60-P