What makes .US unique and why do I need it?
.US
is the only means to establish an American address on the Internet. Soon, all U.S. residents, government entities, public service organizations, and businesses will be able to establish an American identity on the Internet with a short memorable domain name. (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us).
Market research has shown that .US
names will be very popular with consumers for applications like email, digital identity, and personal web sites. Government and public interest organizations will use .US addresses to enable citizen-centric e-Gov applications and to serve the needs of the American people. Businesses will use .US
domain names to promote themselves as American companies to inspire consumer confidence and to encourage consumers to “buy American.”
Who can register a .US domain name?
Any U.S. citizen or resident, as well as any business or organization, including federal, state, and local government with a bona fide presence in the United States can register a .US domain name.
One of the following eligibility requirements must be met:
A natural person (i) who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories or (ii) whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions, or
Any entity or organization that is incorporated within one of the fifty (50) U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States possessions or territories or (ii)
organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, or any of its possessions or territories, or
An entity or organization (including federal, state, or local government of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof) that has a bona fide presence in the United States. See Section B.3.1 of the NeuStar proposal to the Department of Commerce for details concerning what constitutes a “bona fide presence.“
Where can I register a second level .US domain name?
Second level domain name registrations will be available through .US-Accredited Registrars and their resale channel partners. As Registrars complete the accreditation process, NeuStar will provide contact in information on the Domain Name Registration page of this web site. No Registrars are currently accredited to accept second level domain name registrations.
Contact
information for Delegated Managers who currently accept registrations in the existing “locality space” can be found at Delegated Subdomains and their Contacts.
What is the price of a .US domain name?
Market-based retail prices for .US domain names will be established by .US-Accredited Registrars and their resale channel partners. The pricing structure will be an annual subscription fee with multi-year subscriptions available.
What are some of the expected changes to .US?
Soon, for the first time in history, .US registrations will be available at the second level (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us). Currently names are only available in the “locality space” at the third level and above (e.g., www.county.arlington.va.us).
NeuStar will bring operational and technical efficiencies to .US through our highly secure, highly reliable next-generation registry architecture. This
industry-leading service platform will also enable innovative, value-added services within .US.
When will second level .US domain names be available?
Availability of .US domain names at the second level (e.g., johnsmith.us, publicservice.us, mycompany.us) is expected in the next several months. A phased introduction schedule will be posted to this web site in the coming months.
What will happen to existing .US domain names?
Existing .US registrants (domain
name holders) within the “locality space” will retain rights to their existing Internet addresses. In fact, existing domain name holders will benefit from many of the operational improvements and improved security and service levels NeuStar will introduce within .US.
How will current Delegees (Delegated Managers) be affected?
Delegated Managers will continue to play their existing role in the “locality space.” Currently, no
new delegation requests will be accepted. NeuStar will be requesting contact information from each of the existing Delegated Managers. Delegated Managers will be required to meet existing and new operational procedures designed to improve the overall operational efficiency and improve service to domain name holders within the locality space.
What is a reserved name?
A reserved name is a name that is not available for general public registration, but rather is subject to
additional rules, restrictions or processes.
Where can I see a list of reserved .US names?
See http://www.neustar.us/registrars/. In addition to the specific names contained in this reserved name file, the following categories of names are also reserved:
All numbers five digits and higher
All numbers in the format five digits-four digits (zip codes)
All telephone numbers including toll-free numbers
Tagged domain names—all labels with hyphens in
the third and fourth character positions (e.g. "bq--kn2n4h4b")
Why are .US names reserved?
Names are reserved to protect important local and national naming resources, reserve spaces within .US
for future enhancement of the domain and protect technical internet interoperability. Policy changes relative to the reserved list are subject to Department of Commerce review and approval prior to implementation.
Do trademarks take precedence over reserved names during the Sunrise Period?
Trademarks do not take precedence over reserved names with the exception of toll free numbers. Sunrise applications for trademarked toll free numbers will be honored assuming all other Sunrise
requirements are met.
When can Registrant domain and contact data be modified after .US FCFS live?
NeuStar policy is that the successful Sunrise Registrant Domain Names and Contact Information must be locked [ServerUpdateProhibited] set for 30-days after FCFS live. The purpose of this lock is to discourage speculators from transfering ownership.
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