Introduced | 3 September 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 | .bb domain registration form, Policies and agreement |
Registry website | whois |
.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 being 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 & Wireless (Bartel) Ltd. and its sister company Cable & Wireless (BET) Ltd., to continue the administration of the ".bb" domains until the government selected alternate directives.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
The fee for Barbados' main ccTLD and all of the second and third-level domains is BBD$120 annually.[2] This pricing is significantly higher than most other domains, which has discouraged its use.[citation needed] At present the .bb namespace does not allow for commercial licenses to entities without some connection to Barbados.[citation needed]
At present, any person desirous of registering a ".bb" domain is required to fill out Form TU052 and send it the Telecommunications Unit for review.[3]