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Nominet to get unelected board members

Keep Mandy from the door

Nominet members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a raft of measures designed to avoid the government taking control of the .uk registry.

At the non-profit company's EGM on Wednesday, more than 90 per cent of voting members agreed its constitution should be changed to allow it to appoint new board members without a vote, and to grant the board more control over domain pricing.

More than 38 per cent of votes were cast, more than double the typical turnout at Nominet elections and AGMs.

Nominet executives had urged members to approve the changes, to help represent the interests of internet users outside the domain name trade. Under the Digital Economy Bill, the government plans to take reserve powers to control Nominet if it believes it is not acting in the best interests of the wider UK internet.

Yesterday's vote marks the culmination of a turbulent two years for Nominet, as executives and members battled over its future. The dispute saw resignations from the board and legal threats on both sides. It was this conflict which prompted government concerns.

In particular, some members wanted Nominet to cut prices and return its multimillion-pound surplus to members. The EGM results mean prices will not fall and Nominet will continue to seek worthy targets for the cash via its foundation.

Lesley Cowley, the firm's chief executive, said: "We believe that Nominet’s members have now proven their commitment to considering the needs of all stakeholders by reaffirming our public purpose, and ensuring that we are governed according to best practices.

"By implementing in full all of the measures that respond to the Government's concerns, we hope to be able to demonstrate that the reserve powers will not be necessary." ®

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