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On first blush, Rep. Howard Coble doesn’t seem like the most likely character to be involved in a dispute over Internet domain names. The 78-year-old Greensboro Republican is more likely to get on the phone with an angry constituent than answer an angry e-mail in kind.

But a letter the long-time member of the House Judiciary Committee co-authored to ICANN — the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers — has gotten attention from folks who follow the Internet.

ICANN is a nonprofit that rides herd over Internet domain names. Coble’s interest extends in large part from his work on intellectual property rights. At issue is a plan by ICANN to open a whole new world of generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, now personified by the likes of .com, .org or .edu.

“It has come to our attention that the proposed limited expansion of gLTDs will likely result in serious negative consequences for U.S. businesses and consumers,” Coble wrote along with Rep. Lamar Smith, the ranking Republican on the judiciary committee. “As new gTLDs are created, many businesses fear being forced to defensively register trademarks and variations of their marks to block cybersquatters from illegitimately trading on their goodwill and to protect consumers from increased incidences of fraud.”

Among the concerns, companies with a recognizable brand names worry they’ll have to rush into a new cyberspace land grab to avoid others from squatting on their trademarks. Home Depot, for example, may find itself not only needing to hold onto homedepot.com but names like home.depot.

The government doesn’t have direct control over ICANN. But the nonprofit and the U.S. Department of Commerce recently signed an “affirmation of commitments” that they hope will keep the Internet growing in an orderly way. 

ICANN President Rod Beckstrom wrote back to the pair, saying the organization hasn’t decided exactly how to roll out the new domain names, but adding that it would “to the extent possible, protect trademark holders from abusive registrations.”

According to staffers in his Washington office, Coble would like ICANN to send a more detailed plan for rolling out new domains before the nonprofit lets loose with its expansion.

On the bus

North Carolina voters can expect to see a new set of ads this week touting national health care reform and urging them to call Sen. Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, in support of the bill. Specifically, the ads support a  “public option” health insurance plan run by the government that would compete with the private insurance market.

The print and television ads have been produced in Spanish and English and were created by Health Equality For All, an umbrella group that represents several civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and National Council of La Raza.

Although the health care reform ads have been aired by several groups already, these ads target senators in four states — Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida — according to the Associated Press. 

Hagan has said that Congress needs to pass a health insurance reform bill but has focused a lot of her attention on controlling the cost of any such effort. She has not supported or opposed a public option. Hagan has said there needs to be some sort of “backstop” to help those who can’t afford private health insurance but has left herself open to supporting cooperatives and other measures that stop short of a federally-run plan.

Short shrift

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was on Capitol Hill last week telling skeptical lawmakers that the United States’ central bank can handle the oversight of massive financial companies whose demise could create another “great recession,” assuming the current one ends soon.

Despite the fact his agency is fighting to keep some of its consumer protection powers, Bernanke didn’t spend a lot of time in written or oral remarks on curbing abusive practices related to mortgages, credit cards and the like.

This didn’t sit well with Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat who represents parts of Guilford County.

“Five sentences on consumer protection when everything else that we talked about this morning get substantially more space. ... It’s just not a good message to send,” Watt said, according to the Associated Press.

Watt and Rep. Brad Miller, a fellow Democrat from Raleigh who also represents parts of Guilford County, are among the lawmakers pushing for a new financial consumer protection agency. 

Lumbee bill

Hagan and Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, have introduced a bill that would grant federal recognition for North Carolina’s Lumbee tribe. A law passed in the 1950s keeps the tribe from applying for federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which in turn limits the aid and services the 40,000 members can receive.

The tribe is not seeking gaming rights like those granted the Cherokee in western North Carolina.

A Lumbee recognition bill passed the House this year. Similar bills have stalled in the Senate in the past.

Senate votes

The Senate last week took two votes that related to the war effort in Afghanistan. Both came in the form of amendments to a Defense funding bill.

The first measure, which passed 60-39, called on the president to offer more information once he responds to the military’s request to send more troops to Afghanistan. In effect, the measure is calling for hearings once President Barack Obama updates his policy on the war effort there.

Hagan voted yes. Burr voted no.

In a separate vote, lawmakers voted 40-59 to reject an amendment that would have called for hearings by Nov. 15 on Afghanistan whether or not the administration had announced a new war policy.

Hagan voted no. Burr voted yes.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com