White House to assess progress on crucial Internet upgrade

Senior Obama administration officials are encouraging Internet service providers to upgrade their technology before the Web runs out of space for new sites. Officials plan to use a workshop Sept 28 at the National Press Club to draw attention to the deployment of Internet Protocol Version 6, known in shorthand as IPv6.

The protocol, which is often referred to as "Next Generation Internet," is the successor to the current infrastructure of the Web, IPv4. The switch to IPv6 has become a critical issue because the stock of unused web addresses could be exhausted before the end of the year. While IPv4 offers roughly 4.3 billion Web addresses, IPv6 can support a virtually unlimited number of devices. "Tomorrow NTIA will facilitate stakeholder discussions among business, government, and the Internet technical community to highlight the importance of IPv6 to the continued growth of the Internet economy. IPv6 benefits will allow for increased innovation online and allow the Internet to remain a powerful engine for commerce and economic growth," said NTIA Administrator Lawrence Strickling.