InfoWorld, May 1, 2002 -- Now that the dot-com boom has waned, a recent poll shows that most Americans would prefer to use the .us domain than they would the more common .com. The Harris Interactive poll released last week indicates that 68 million Americans would choose the .us domain, if given a choice.

According to Robert Poulin, senior vice president of NeuStar, which was selected by the Department of Commerce to manage the domain, "Research shows that individuals want to have an American identity online."

The new domain became available last week on a first-come first-served basis. The eligibility for the domain is limited, however, and those seeking a .us address must be:

• A naturalized person who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States of America or any of its possessions or territories, or whose primary place of domicile is in the United States of America or any of its possessions; or
• An entity or organization that is incorporated within one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or any of the United States' possessions or territories, or organized or otherwise constituted under the laws of a state of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, or any of its possessions or territories; or
• An entity or organization (including a federal, state, or local government of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof) that has a bona fide presence in the United States.