".GOV" Registry Grows to Full-Fledged, Fee-for-Service Program

GSA #10099

July 29, 2004
Contact: Viki Reath (202) 501-1499
viki.reath@gsa.gov

WASHINGTON— Starting on Saturday, the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) “.GOV” Internet Domain Registry, which has exceeded initial expectations and resources, will ask government entities to pay  $125 a year to cover registration and renewal costs, starting July 31, 2004.

GSA used stringent authentication standards to register .GOV domain names for 100 federal agencies in 1997, when it launched the registry. Since then, the program has expanded exponentially.

 “Just over a year ago we gave access to state and local governments to the .GOV registry, along with federally recognized Indian tribes,” said Mary J. Mitchell, GSA Deputy Associate Administrator for Electronic Government and Technology. “This community now makes up almost 60% of the active 3,400 public entities who rely on the .GOV domain registry.”

A successful .GOV domain registry contributes to President Bush’s commitment to a citizen-centric government. The .GOV domain helps citizens who frequently do not know which branch of government is responsible for government functions.

“Citizens using the .GOV Web sites can rely on their authenticity,” Mitchell said.

Typically, commercial registries charge less than the government fee, because they don’t have to adhere to the costly, stringent, federal authentication standards, and they can sell advertising space and other commercial Web-hosting services to defray costs. In contrast, the federal government is prohibited from engaging in commercial activities to defray costs.

For information on the .GOV Domain Registry, please contact Daisy Bhagowalia, (703) 306-6238; daisy.bhagowalia@gsa.gov.

GSA was created by Congress to help agencies improve efficiency and better serve the public. On behalf of federal agencies, GSA acquires office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies and services, and provides government-wide policy solutions for more than one million federal workers in more than 8,000 buildings in 2,000 U.S. communities.