“The proposed 2004-5 budget for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has hit a snag - the rest of the world is refusing to pay its share of the bill.

ICANN last week proposed a budget of $15.8m for next year, nearly twice as much as its current annual expenditure. However, the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR) - an organisation which represents the Internet registries of 39 countries - is refusing to play ball. In a letter dated 26 May, and addressed to Paul Twomey, the head of ICANN, this powerful body has revealed its irritation with ICANN’s attempt to become a global Internet institution.

“The proposed 2004-5 budget for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has hit a snag - the rest of the world is refusing to pay its share of the bill.

ICANN last week proposed a budget of $15.8m for next year, nearly twice as much as its current annual expenditure. However, the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR) - an organisation which represents the Internet registries of 39 countries - is refusing to play ball. In a letter dated 26 May, and addressed to Paul Twomey, the head of ICANN, this powerful body has revealed its irritation with ICANN’s attempt to become a global Internet institution.

“The proposed 2004-5 budget for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has hit a snag - the rest of the world is refusing to pay its share of the bill.

ICANN last week proposed a budget of $15.8m for next year, nearly twice as much as its current annual expenditure. However, the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries (CENTR) - an organisation which represents the Internet registries of 39 countries - is refusing to play ball. In a letter dated 26 May, and addressed to Paul Twomey, the head of ICANN, this powerful body has revealed its irritation with ICANN’s attempt to become a global Internet institution.