.bb

.bb

Introduced	1991
TLD type	Country code top-level domain
Status	Active
Registry	Telecoms Unit
Sponsor	Government of Barbados
Intended use	Entities connected with  Barbados
Actual use	Gets some use in Barbados
Registration restrictions	Limited to residents of Barbados and companies registered there
Structure	Registrations permitted at second level and at third level beneath various second-level labels
Documents	Policies and agreement, Terms of Service
Website	.BB registry

.bb is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Barbados. The .bb top-level domain has been maintained by several administrators since its creation. The first of which was the University of Puerto Rico. In 1996 the Government of Barbados sought the relegation of .bb to the incumbent local exchange carrier, Cable & Wireless (BARTEL) Ltd. A 2001 Memorandum of Understanding was then later signed between the Government of Barbados and both Cable & Wirless (Bartel) Ltd. and its sister company Cable & Wireless (BET) Ltd., to continue the administration of the ".bb" domains until the government selected alternate directives. In November, 2007 .bb was again relegated to the Telecoms Unit within the Government of Barbados.^[1]

The Government has indicated that the government's policy will be to maintain a semi-restricted domain. Legal issues regarding domains are to be handled by the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) arm of the Government.

The fee for Barbados' main ccTLD and all of the second and third-level domains is BD$120 annually.^[2]

Second-level domains

• .co.bb - general use (usually commercial)
• .com.bb - commercial entities
• .net.bb - network providers
• .org.bb - general use (usually for non-profit organisations)
• .gov.bb - Barbadian government organisations
• .edu.bb - Barbadian educational organisations
• .info.bb - general use
• .store.bb - general use
• .tv.bb - general use
• .biz.bb - general use

Timeline

Former .bb registry logo under Cable and Wireless.

• 1991-September: – University of Puerto Rico is delegated the .bb domain.
• 1996 – The .bb ccTLD becomes re-delegated from Univ. of Puerto Rico to Cable & Wireless.
• 2001-Oct-16: – The Government of Barbados and Cable & Wireless sign a MOU for the later to maintain interim-administration of the .bb ccTLD.
• 2007-November: – The Government of Barbados assumes total administration and control of the .bb ccTLD from C&W.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} IANA Report on the Re-delegation of the .BB Top-Level Domain - 2007
2. ^ Domain Registration Licences (TUL152) are renewed annually at a fee of $120

External links

• IANA .bb whois information
• The Min. of Finance, Investment, Telecommunications and Energy (MFIE)
  • BarbadosDomains.com - At the Min. of Finance, Investment, Telecommunications and Energy (MFIE)
  • Whois search tool for registered .bb ccTLDs
• Redelegation of the .BB Top-Level Domain November 2007