The key oversight agency for internet addresses is reviewing the way it oversees businesses that sell domain names in the wake of financial and operational problems that left customers of one company nameless.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers already has taken steps to decertify RegisterFly.com, whose troubles it said resulted in many customers unable to renew names before they expired or transfer them to rival registration companies, known as registrars, as required under ICANN rules.

ICANN said broader changes may be needed to prevent similar troubles. Paul Levins, the agency's vice-president for corporate affairs, said Monday that the existing rules were written when there was little competition among registrars. There are about 860 registrars now.

ICANN to explore enforcement tools

Paul Twomey, ICANN's chief executive, said the agency wasn't looking to increase regulation at the expense of competition. But it wants to explore whether registrar operators must prove a basic level of skills, whether ICANN must approve any ownership changes and whether ICANN could create enforcement tools short of yanking a company's accreditation entirely.

Other questions include whether the agency should develop an escrow system as a backup repository for data on domain name registrations — important if a registrar goes out of business or is deemed incompetent. A related issue involves whether anonymous registrations through proxy services could hinder data recovery.