In an agreement with Tuvalu, dotTV (www.tv) arranged to pay the island $50 million over ten years in exchange for the right to serve as the exclusive worldwide source for web addresses ending in .tv. In addition to joining the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Nations, the government of Tuvalu is spending the $18 million it has so far received from dotTV on infrastructure improvements, road repair, electricity, medical personnel, Internet connections, and international scholarships and education.

"Tuvalu's natural resources are fish and copra, which generate very little money," said Tuvaluan Prime Minister His Excellency Ionatana Ionatana. "The agreement with dotTV has given our nation a sense of economic independence. Our membership to the United Nations signals to the world that Tuvalu has joined the international community."