Third Advisory Concerning Equitable Allocation of Shared [...]

(23 August 2001) As previously reported in advisories dated 16 July 2001 and 10 August 2001, the registry operator and registrars participating in the Shared Registration System (SRS) for .com/.net/.org have been working together to devise a plan to handle expiring names in a manner that is fair and does not interfere with other activities in the SRS.

While all parties will continue to look for a long-term solution, the registry operator announced today that it has developed, and is preparing to implement, a short-term measure that will allow for the resumption of the batch delete process. This short-term measure will allow for the return of deleted names to the "pool" of names available for registration by any registrant, through any registrar, on a first-come/first-served basis. This will alleviate the growing backlog of names in delete-pending status and may provide additional data for use in developing appropriate long-term solutions.

ICANN's Domain Name Supporting Organization has already been advised of the situation and has begun to discuss possible measures for handling expiring names. Members of the community are urged to participate in the DNSO's discussions, so that all viewpoints can be considered in developing measures for fair allocation of expiring names.