CELTIC LEAGUE: INTERNET - CAMPAIGN FOR NATIONAL DOMAIN SUFFIXES
The Celtic League has urged the Cornish Language Partnership to support the campaign to adopt national internet domain suffixes for the Celtic countries. So far just Ireland and Mannin have national domain suffixes (ie and im respectively).
The issue was discussed at the Celtic League AGM and it was agreed that the Celtic League would urge the four other Celtic countries to run a coordinated campaign (see below):
"Jenifer Lowe Cornish Language Partnership 30/09/08
Dear Jenifer Lowe
International Standard Code (ISC) for dot ker domain name
I am writing to enquire if you are aware that there is currently no ISC for the dot ker domain suffix.
ISC's, as you will know, are produced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for internet domain suffixes and controls what internet domain suffixes can be used. The so-called 'country'(states) codes have two letters e.g. dot ie for the Republic of Ireland, and are used largely (although not exclusively) by independent states.
However, there is an increasing demand for the use of three letter codes, for regions/nations e.g. dot bzh (Brittany), and a number of campaigns have been running in recent years for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation that gives approval for the use of internet domain suffixes, to allow dependent countries like Wales and Scotland and Brittany to use their own distinct domain suffix. The use of dotcat (Catalonia) was approved for use by ICANN in 2006 and since this date dotcat has been used to serve the needs of the Catalan Linguistic and Cultural Community on the Internet.
Before ICANN can approve of a domain suffix, a number of factors need to be in place, one of which is the registration of an ISC for the target domain suffix. Cornwall has a registered ISC of dot cor, but dot ker is not registered. This runs contrary to the situation in Scotland and Wales where dot gla/dot sco and dot wal/dot cym are registered respectfully, to account for the languages spoken in these nations.
In recent months, the campaigns to achieve distinct internet domain suffixes have been given a boost by the announcement that ICANN is prepared to consider new applications for three letter domain suffixes to be used in the near future. This has led the dotcym and the dotsco campaigners to announce that they will be applying for the use of these domain suffixes from as early as next year, with the expectation that they will be ready for use, if approved, by 2010.
At our AGM in Dublin last month, the following resolution was passed:
"This AGM supports the campaign to secure a .KER internet domain name for Kernow and encourages closer cooperation between the .SCO, .BZH, .CYM and .KER campaigns to secure internet domain names for Alba, Breizh, Cymru and Kernow respectively."
We are therefore concerned that a dotker internet domain suffix has not been registered as an ISC and that if, as seems very likely now, ICANN will approve of three letter domain name suffixes for other regions/nations, Cornwall's linguistic and cultural community will loose out. One of the criteria ICANN has given in the past for their approval of three letter domain names for regions and nations is for their use to be restricted to the linguistic and cultural community. If dotcor is approved for Cornwall only, this sends a clear message that Cornwall's linguistic heritage is English only and therefore could be simply included under a doteng domain suffix.
We hope that you can understand our reasons for raising this issue with you and we would appreciate it if you could investigate this matter further, if possible. The Celtic League is more than happy to work together with other interested parties or individuals on the further promotion of this campaign.
For more information see:
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Rhisiart Tal-e-bot General Secretary"
Related links on Celtic News at:
J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League
01/10/08
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