Editing AlterNIC (section)

== Alternative TLDs ==
AlterNIC started operating their registries even though their [[name server]]s were not included in the [[Internet]] official [[DNS root zone|root zone]]. As a result, only users of manually reconfigured name servers were able to resolve AlterNIC names.

AlterNIC offered several dozens of alternative [[Top-level domain|TLD]]s, such as<ref name="anicws" />

* <kbd>.alt</kbd>
* <kbd>.biz</kbd> (unrelated to the subsequent, official [[.biz]] gTLD created by the [[ICANN]])
* <kbd>.corp</kbd>
* <kbd>.eur</kbd> (European name services, by NetName)
* <kbd>.fam</kbd>
* <kbd>.fcn</kbd> (Free Community Network - no cost DNS for charities & non-profits. Inactive.)
* <kbd>.free</kbd>
* <kbd>.sex</kbd>
* <kbd>.usa</kbd> (designed as a competitor to the official [[.us]])
* <kbd>.wtv</kbd> (World Tele Virtual Network commercial Internet TV. Inactive.)
* <kbd>.xxx</kbd> (unrelated to the [[.xxx]] that was first approved, then revoked by the ICANN, and then approved again)

During the experimental phase, domains could be registered without fees using the <kbd>.exp</kbd> and <kbd>.lnx</kbd> TLDs. Some TLDs such as <kbd>.ltd</kbd>, <kbd>.med</kbd> or <kbd>.xxx</kbd> were operated directly by AlterNIC. The setup fee for AlterNIC registries was $50. The annual fee was $24, half of the $50 that were charged yearly by [[Network Solutions|NSI]] for a <kbd>.com</kbd> or <kbd>.net</kbd> domain ($15 of the $50 were retained for a [[US Government]] fund).

A notable feature of AlterNIC was the possibility to request a new custom TLD for the same price as for registrations in existing TLDs. Established [[publishing group]]s had requested their own names: [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] magazine had reserved <kbd>.wired</kbd><ref name="sw1">George Lawton,{{cite web|url=http://www.sun.com/sunworldonline/swol-09-1996/swol-09-domain.html |title=''New top-level domains promise descriptive names'' |accessdate=2016-10-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19961221193305/http://www.sun.com/sunworldonline/swol-09-1996/swol-09-domain.html |archivedate=1996-12-21 }}, SunWorld, 1996-09-16, retrieved through Archive.org</ref> and [[International Data Group|IDG]]'s affiliate in Europe has reserved <kbd>.idg</kbd><ref name="sw1" />