Representatives turn the heat up on Cerf

Cerf, one of the founders of the internet and chairman of Icann (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), said last year's launch of new domain names was "essentially an experiment" and that it was essential to move slowly to see how the domains would affect the web and the market.

Last November, Icann selected seven new domain names: .aero, .co-op, .info, .museum .name, .pro and .biz.

Billy Tauzin, House of Representatives Commerce Committee chairman, said: "The domains you chose were not necessarily the most qualified, the most worthy and the most attractive to consumers."

Cerf admitted that there is room for improvement. He said: "We need to re-examine the procedures that we used."

Cerf also faced criticism for lack of openness. The Committee's top Democrat, Ed Markey, said: "To hear some applicants tell it, events at the Vatican are shrouded in less mystery than the process by which Icann chooses [top-level domains]."

Markey added that running Icann in the age of the internet is very a different proposition to setting it up in an academic environment, as Cerf had originally done.

On Tuesday, Cerf undergoes a similar examination in front of the Senate Commerce Committee.