Nominet is a private, not-for-profit company that has members rather than shareholders. Any organisation with an interest in the Internet can become a member of Nominet by paying a subscription fee. Members have voting rights and can have access to reduced domain name registration and renewal fees. For further information, see the Nominet Guide to Becoming a Member and Registrar.
The members of Nominet usually offer their customers a range of services that are not available from Nominet, such as web site design, hosting and email forwarding.
Nominet members contribute to the running of the company in a number of ways:
Nominet has a Board that is made up of two executive directors, and four non-executive directors who are elected by members. The Board makes strategic and policy decisions and is responsible for the actions of the company.
The Policy Advisory Body (PAB) acts as a bridge between Nominet's Board and Nominet members. The PAB meets every two months to develop policies and rules for consideration by the Board. The PAB comprises two of the non-executive directors, eight representatives of appointed organisations (such as the Confederation of British Industry and the Department for Business) and eight members who are elected by Nominet members.