February 2020 - comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20@icann.org

[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by Hyper Responsive Media Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

I am a registrant of a .com domain name. I am against the proposed price increase to .COM domains. No one other than Verisign want increases in .COM prices. The current rate of $7.85 is already far more than justified. Verisign is merely your manager of the .COM Registry â€“ it has no business dictating the price. ICANN is supposed to govern the domain name system in the public interest. David Gruttadaurio Evansville, Indiana United States

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Morality or Profit
by Ian Ingram Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

ICANN has done an excellent job at keeping a secure and stable internet. That is incredibly important, but that's not their only job. They have dropped the ball with regard to a key core value as set forth in the bylaws of ICANN: "...to promote and sustain a competitive environment in the DNS market;" & frankly they have dropped the ball on simply being a "not-for-profit public-benefit corporation"... Imagine if only one company were allowed to provide high speed internet and 1000 other companies were offering dial-up. That one company would probably be able to charge just about whatever they wanted, unless someone kept them in check. Verisign is that company; .com is high speed internet and everything else is essentially a couple crappy modems trying to connect with a crashing static of bloopy bleeps. Verisign has been on easy street for far too long. They have no real competition. Their operating costs have been going down every year for at least the last 10 years. Their total number of employees has been dropping every year for at least the last 8 years. Their net income has increased every year for at least the last 10 years. Verisign's net income per employee is over $700,000 per employee. That is more than Apple, Microsoft, Google & Facebook. Not only is Verisign ridiculously profitable with the unending gravy train that is the .com monopoly, they also appear to have ICANN firmly in their pocket. It seems Verisign can get ICANN to essentially do whatever they please. Here's an extra $20 million, dance for me ICANN, dance! So ICANN is choosing to take $4 million more per year for ICANN for five years and Verisign gets an additional ~$1 Billion in pure profit over that span. This doesn't take into account additional increases in the .com base or further price increases later on. Domain registrants will be forced to pay as migrating to some crappy gTLD just isn't a serious option. It's a shame that what appears to be weak minded and greedy individuals are in charge of keeping the public's best interest in mind. It is surprising that those on the board of ICANN don't realize that by continuing to be beholden to Verisign they are asking for more scrutiny to their systems, processes and salaries of their not-for-profit public-benefit corporation. With a few keystrokes ICANN could save millions of registrants from continued & unjustified price increases and further, they could even help to lower those set costs by allowing a competitive bid for the .com contract. They could do this with impunity as it is not only part of their intended purpose, it is the right thing to do. Yet ICANN is choosing to increase the profits of one corporation who is already wildly profitable. The new gTLD experiment has proven that .com reigns supreme. No other gTLD is even close. It has also proven that someone else could take over the .com contract and run it while remaining profitable for an amount that is ridiculously less than Verisign. If Verisign were told they had to decrease prices 30% or the .com contract would be put out for competitive bid, they would take the decrease and consider themselves lucky that they still had the contract. One thing is for sure, at some point everyone has to face the decisions they have made in life. When they close their eyes will their decisions help them rest easily, or will they go through life looking over their shoulder always wondering when karma will catch up. Verisign's coffers are stuffed already and giving them more isn't going to make the internet a more secure and stable environment no matter how you sell it. It's very clear that giving Verisign more does not benefit the public's best interest, it in fact does the opposite. There is a saying that when it is a choice between morality and profit, profit seldom loses. ICANN may line their and Verisign's pockets temporarily as a result, but what will these decisions ultimately cost them and how long can they continue before it comes crumbling down? Ian Ingram CMO Corporate 206-327-0581 ian(a)listings.com The information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error please contact the sender and destroy any copies of this information. | 206-327-0581 | 227 Bellevue Way NE #19, Bellevue, WA 98004

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] proposed .com increases
by Larry Nachman Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

We are very upset to hear about your closed door agreement to allow .com pricing increases. It is distressing to see that once everyone has their branding in place, that you hold them over the fire by them having to pay continual increases to keep their .com domain name. We want full disclosure on the $20 million in detail what it will be used for. In distress over yet one more internet-related thing we have to deal with her. Lawrence Nachman

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] ICANN & Verisign Decision: '.com's are Gateways to the Internet - Please Help Maintain the Affordability of the '.com' Domain & the Internet ecosystem as a whole!
by Kareem Cumberbatch Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

Dear Special Decision Committee, This Letter & Comment will be Short, Sweet & Concise. Thank You for your Thoughtful, Diligent, Prudent & Discerning Regards. We write to please request a reconsideration on the allowance of '.com' price Increases and the decision by Verisign and any other Key Marquee Internet Players to increase Price Quotes & Services rendered! For many Small and Medium sized businesses and eventual enterprises a '.com' domain is one of their first forays and acquisitions in their venture into the Brave New World & Frontier of the Internet. Many if not most Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs & Enthusiasts alike utilize '.com's because of their: 1) Ease of Simplicity 2) Worldwide Adoption 3) Instant Recognition & Credibility 4) Diverse Accessibility in Multi-languages & Interdisciplinary Users 5) Most importantly Affordability! - Entry Low Costs. The most essential aspect of this insight is that, many e-commerce Operators are not profitable initially, sometimes, if at all. Hence Despite the lack of Revenue & Income, they still have Fixed Margin Costs that they will & must support regardless if they are Cash-flowing profitably or not. This effort is often due to the sheer love, pursuit & enjoyability and not necessarily as a result of Profit. Persons & Small Businesses will often begin with the '.com' domain and expand into the other available TLDs as their Needs, Requirements, Abilities & Solutions diversify. One domain often becomes 2, 3, 5, 10 or even 100+. However, without those first affordable First Baby Steps, many New & Existing Entrepreneurs and Enthusiasts may not ever have the opportunity to Hone their skills, Sharpen their teeth and Gain their Fledgling Wings. If Emerging Enterprises & Startup Businesses do not have that initial beneficial startup Assistance & Support; then companies such as Verisign and others will not only lose the Original & Genesis Business but also all other Residual, Recurring & Referral Income and much Larger Follow-on Residual Contracts as Business Compounding occurs and Small things become unexpected Big Things. Very Valuable Additional Streams of Income that '.com' Service Providers may not ever realize & receive if the barrier to entry is too high & Overall Sustainability is not maintained. Verisign is a very Forward Thinking, Considerate & Sustainable Company and Enterprise just as ICANN is a Diligent, Prudent & Considerate Non-Profit Organization and Regulator. We trust that the Teams & Executives on the ground directly will think Carefully of the Implications, Unintended Consequences & Ripple Effects that such a Mountainous & Avalanche decision as Price Increases to the '.com' domain would have on the Internet Ecosystem's Access, Affordability, Exponential Synergy & Sustainability as a whole. The pie is greater with many more Emerging and Creative Small, Medium & Large Enterprises, Entrepreneurs & Enthusiasts alike all having Access to the Opportunity & Chance. Such a thing may be small to much larger Corporations and just a Line item on the Expense, P/L Statement & Bottomline; but to smaller organizations and operators, who are often not sophisticated or developed enough yet to even have a P/L Financial Statement, it can make the world of a difference. A Profitable Small Business or Company is a Profitable Verisign which is also a Sustainable, Competitive & Collaborative ICANN! Thank You ICANN & Verisign for all of your Careful Re-Consideration, Small Business Friendliness & Entrepreneurial Philanthropy! (This letter was not as short as we wanted, but we indeed tried to keep it Precise!) '.com's are Gateways to the Internet - Please Help Maintain the Affordability of the '.com' Domain & the Internet ecosystem as a whole! The Very Best, Kind Regards, Kareem https://www.ameripegroup.com https://www.ameripegroup.com Kareem Cumberbatch Title : Portfolio Macro | Relationship Manager Function: Enterprise Architecture, Treasury, Investments Division : Business Development & Strategic Partnerships The AMERIPÉ Group E: mailto:kcumberbatch@ameripegroup.com P: 1 (242) 462-4446 W: https://www.ameripegroup.com A: 745 5th Ave, New York, NY 10151, USA

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by robert parry Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

I am a registrant of a .com domain name. I am against the proposed price increase to .COM domains. The current rate of $7.85 is already far more than justified. Bob Parry Vredenburg, Western Cape South Africa

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Don’t raise .COM costs annually or frequently
by Ramakrishnan H Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

Hi, Please don’t increase .COM costs annually or frequently as it affects small companies & businesses & small scale traders. Kind Regards, Ram Sent from my iPhone

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by Terrell Miller Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

To whom it may concern I am a small business owner and also a part-time domainer (I invest in domain names as a business). I use domain names to operate online stores and market our company's products. I am against the proposed price increase to .COM domains. No one other than Verisign want increases in .COM prices. The current rate of $7.85 is already far more than justified. If the .COM contract were opened for bid, competition would be created and it would lead to steady to lower .COM prices for registrants. ICANN is supposed to govern the domain name system in the public interest. There is no public interest in seeing .COM prices continue to rise higher than inflation. Sincerely Terrell Miller College Station, Texas, United States

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Comments regarding proposed amendment 3
by Akshat Sharma Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

Dear ICANN I have always understood ICANN to be a trustworthy steward of the public resource that is the internet domain naming system. Sadly, that trust has been shaken of late. The recent changes to ".com" TLD pricing announced in January follow the very public and shameful scandal around the ".org" TLD. But to be honest, I don't think there ever will be a right time to allow unchecked, annual price increases to a public resource. I struggle to understand why are we rewarding a poorly run organisation like Verisign (which has been implicated of extreme negligence in multiple security breaches) with carte blanche to increase domain prices every year. And no, the two year "breathers" don't do anything. If anything, ICANN should be taking steps to disengage with Verisign entirely. I'm sure there are any number of well run, trustworthy organisations that would be more than happy to handle the .com TLD for a fair price. More importantly, the .com price increase is going to prevent many new entrepreneurs from starting. I understand that in the western world $12 doesn't seem like much, but in many parts of the world that is a significant investment. And while one can understand an occasional price increase, a 7% price increase each year is simply too prohibitive. As it is, the web is being consumed by the FAANG companies. It is hard enough for new players to launch something when the network effects of the internet giants kill new ideas before they get a chance to germinate. For ICANN, a non-profit to capitulate to the avarice of Verisign will be yet another fatal blow. I urge you with all my heart to give up this course of action. Please don't allow this amendment to go through. Yours hopefully Akshat Sharma (Owner of www.akshatsharma.com since 2008)

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] price change
by C F Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

You make enough money, please do not raise prices. Even for a smaller domain we use for personal emails for small businesses this would not be helpful.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] .com
by Diogo Rodrigues Feb. 13, 2020

Feb. 13, 2020

Hi, Has a user with 2 domains, i will change domain to a most afordable one without daught if prices increase too much. Just consider that there are lots of offers and if there is more users using .com is not because is the best one... it's the price and name. With that in mind, sincerely, Diogo

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