I currently have the same problem.
Here is a copy of an email networksolutions sent me addressing the issue.-Thank
you for contacting Network Solutions and for your interest in
acquiring a domain.
Some
things you should be aware of concerning this matter:
a)The expiration date that
shows in WHOIS is not the date that a
domain name becomes available to
be registered by another party.
There may be issues that are yet
to be resolved between Network
Solutions and the registrant.
b)Please
understand that for security reasons we cannot discuss any
privileged
domain information with third parties.
c)There is no waiting list for domain name
registrations.
d)If you make payment on the current registration, it will be renewed
in the current registrant's name.
NSI periodically deletes domain names
that are up for deletion in bulk since
bulk deletion better enables us to insure
that only those domain names that
are actually up for deletion are properly deleted
(as compared to a running
deletion process). The dates on which these bulk
deletions occur are
arbitrarily selected by our engineering department based upon
system loading
and other technical factors. In order to protect against
an overload of our
systems, we do not disclose these deletion dates.
If you
have any further questions that we may assist you with,
please feel free to call
1-888-642-9675 from the U.S. for assistance.
Outside of the U.S., dial 1-703-742-0914.
Representatives are on
duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to assist you.
Best
Regards,
Larry W.
Network Solutions Registration Services
http://www.networksolutions.com