The DOC is expected to issue a formal request for bids from those wanting to manage and co-ordinate the registry and expand its presently limited services. To date, little use of the .us name has been made because of rules that are much more restrictive than those for the .uk equivalent.
While anyone in the US can register a .us name, the naming structure is based on national geography, in four levels. The first level is .us. The second level domain is the applicant’s state, then the third level domain is the city or county. Finally, the fourth level domain can be assigned to an organisation or to an individual. For example, Microsoft is based in Redmond, Washington and would, if it wanted a .us domain name, use the address www.microsoft.redmond.wa.us.
The length of the domain names has made .us an unpopular choice for businesses, but it is used by local governments and community-based organisations. Administration of sub-domain registries is delegated to local entities. The city council of Redmond, for example, is at www.ci.redmond.wa.us.
The DOC has acknowledged the demand for more generic names using .us. The bidder who wins control of the registry will not also be allowed to act as registrar, a dual role which led to recent criticism for VeriSign, controller of the .com name. Many registrars sell .com names, but all must pay commission on each to VeriSign, the central registry. VeriSign competes with the re-sellers by also selling .com names direct.