The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) voted unanimously to increase the number of available domains -- those suffixes at the end of e-mails and URLs. While ICANN hasn't specified the number of new domains or what they will be, a study group has recommended such extensions as ".museum," ".union," ".travel" and even ".sex," Bloomberg News reports.

Expanding the number of addresses from the commercially-available ".com" ".net" and ".org" extensions will create more opportunities for organizations and Web site operators to register names that aren't available now.

"We were looking for diversity among domain names," Esther Dyson, ICANN's chairwoman, told Bloomberg. "The meaning of this is a reduction of scarcity. We're expecting new names by early next year."

Starting in August, ICANN will accept proposals for new extensions by those groups that want to manage the domains. The governing body will then accept public comment on the possible choices from Oct. 1-15, with a "shortlist" of domains to be announced by late November and final selection by the end of the year, Bloomberg reports.

The resolution is praised by some as a major boost to Internet companies that sell and register Web labels. Others, including some ICANN board members, say the governing body did not set clear guidelines on how the new names will be phased in, or on the number of new names that can be introduced, the Associated Press reports.

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