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

[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] comments
by Steve Moore Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

To whom it may concern: Price increases will adversely affect private entrepreneurs like me. My website is already the major PR and marketing cost center for my book business. I know there’s a trend in the US to destroy small business owners right now, driven by greed and power, but you don’t have to contribute to it...and shouldn’t. America and the world depends on small businesses to form the base of the economic pyramid. Destroy that base and the whole structure will come tumbling down. r/Steve Moore Steven M. Moore Author of four series and many other sci-fi, mystery, and thriller novels, including the mystery/thriller novel Rembrandt's Angel (Penmore Press) and the post-apocalyptic thriller The Last Humans (Black Opal Books) And from A. B. Carolan and Carrick Publishing: the YA sci-fi mystery Mind Games And new from Penmore Press: the mystery/thriller Son of Thunder Website: https://stevenmmoore.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorStevenMMoore Twitter: @StevenMMoore4 Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas! Steve is a member of International Thriller Writers

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] ICANN Verisign agreement
by Phillip seiflein Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

This is reference to the uncontrolled arms-length contractual arrangements between ICANN and Verisign. The unsupervised activities of these two organization have worldwide ramifications on Internet use and traffic. As these are now vital arteries of communication throughout worldwide society any misuse will have a great recoil of detrimental effects. As a tech familiar with domains and storage I am aware of the costs of new technology and storage. As a seasoned businessman and individual I know that the costs associated with storing a few bits of information in the form of a Domain name and sending out automated information about it once a year isn't even pennies, let alone dollars which you currently charge for a "domain name". By initial review you should be making thousands of percents over costs over facility equipment and personnel. And now, you want to increase those huge percentages by 7% a year? This is either pure greed, or foolishness. In either case, you need a strictly business supervisor to keep watch over you from an outside agency. The conclusion which will be apparent to ANY government/public agency is that there is tremendous waste, extravagant spending, and gouging of the innocent public by two arms-length monopolies controlling the use of part of the internet. In as much as your careless and unregulated actions are detrimental to the economy, harm innocent users, and reflect substantial personal gain through use of government channels, I will support and endeavor to have any further misuse of your mutual organizations removed from these critical public social and business channels and put into the protective hands of a conservancy. They require a Finance Officer who can say "No" to wasteful expense, and they need to establish a competitive bidding system which will keep the prices down, instead of up, as this "friendly" arrangement will provide for. Sincerely, Philip Seiflein cc: Congressional Representative Julia Brownley In Re: ICANN Allows .COM Price Increases, Gets More Money Richard Kirkendall<https://www.namecheap.com/blog/author/richard/> | February 10, 2020 79 5 min read On January 3, 2020, ICANN announced significant changes to the contract it has with Verisign, Inc. to operate the top-level domain .COM. ICANN and Verisign made these changes in secret, without consulting or incorporating feedback from the ICANN community or Internet users. Although ICANN has a history of making similar deals behind closed doors, and also of ignoring unified opposition against such action<https://www.namecheap.com/blog/ensuring-icann-keep-domain-prices-in-check/>, Namecheap will continue to lead the fight against price increases that will harm our customers and the Internet as a whole. (For more information about Namecheap’s efforts to maintain domain name price controls, visit pricecaps.org<http://pricecaps.org/>.) The changes to the .COM agreement will have a much bigger impact on the Internet than the previous action for .ORG, .INFO, and .BIZ domains, due to the dominance of .COM. There are 359.8 million total domain names, of which 144 million are .COM — that’s 40% of all domain names. With 161.8 million country-specific TLDs (ccTLDs), there are 198 million generic TLDs (gTLDs). That means that .COM makes up 73% of all gTLD domain names. ICANN was created in part to introduce competition between domain name registrars, but now ICANN itself is at the heart of the problem, without considering any input from Internet users on these critical decisions. There are four main concerns with ICANN’s decision: 1. Price Increases Verisign will be allowed to increase the wholesale price to registrars for .COM domains by 7% each year in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. After a two year “freeze”, Verisign can increase prices by 7% annually during 2026-2029, then another two year “freeze”. This cycle will continue, meaning that within 10 years, .COM domains could cost approximately 70% more than the current wholesale price of $7.85 — and the sky is the limit. It is not clear how much of these price increases registrars will pass along to consumers, but it is likely that most of these increases will be paid by domain name registrants. The contract does allow for other price increases for certain extraordinary situations, so it is possible prices could increase more than anticipated. 2. ICANN Will Receive an Extra $20 Million With the contract changes, Verisign agreed to pay ICANN an additional $20 million dollars over five years to support ICANN’s initiatives regarding the security and stability of the domain name system. There is no explanation why Verisign did this, how ICANN will spend the money, or who will ensure that the funds are properly spent. 3. Verisign Can Operate as a Domain Registrar ICANN also had rules that the operator of a TLD could not operate a domain name registrar. Although in 2012 ICANN allowed operators of new gTLDs to have domain name registrars, it did not apply to Verisign. The new contract will allow Verisign to operate its own registrar, except for selling .COM domain names itself. To circumvent this, it is also possible that Verisign could act as a reseller of .COM domains, through another registrar. This result is that the company that controls almost 80% of the registrar pricing for domain names will compete directly with all domain registrars, maximizing its control of domain name pricing to the detriment of other competing registrars. While this might result in lower prices to consumers, fewer registrars will harm competition, choice, and domain name services. Verisign’s registrar could also use its dominant position to charge higher prices to consumers, while at the same time raising registrar prices.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] I'm against Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by Pinhas Ravinskiy Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Hi. There are no reasons to make Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement happen. It’s leads to uncontrolled prices rise. But domain registry support and maintainance is going to be cheaper and cheaper. So there are profits rise for domain registry included already. Why I need to pay for extra meters length of Verisign shareholders yachts and ICANN’s nomenklatura extra perks? I see it as ICANN and Verisign unlimited greed and I don’t agree to pay for it. Pinhas

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] (no subject)
by Sam Street Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I do NOT agree with the proposed increase to .COM domain names…

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] amendment-3
by Dave on the Road Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

No just no. Verisign and ICANN deal is wrong for those of us running small businesses or personal sites. Go after domain squatters! The mere fact you made these comments so difficult to submit and or read is obtuse!

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Where is the competition?
by Dylan Kuhn Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I am an internet user concerned with the changes in the proposed amendment 3 to the .COM registry agreement. Please take my concerns into account. Most domain holders like myself have little recourse to use a competing registrar if Verisign raises prices. No price increases should be authorized without remedying this situation. The financial exchanges between ICANN and Verisign should be transparent and accountable. How will ICANN use money from Verisign? I hope you will acknowledge and address these concerns. Regards, Dylan Kuhn Reno NV USA

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Price increase
by Bryan Eydt Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I am strongly opposed to major increases to the domain registration prices. Increasing the prices will decimate the innovation that built the internet. By increasing the price you will be leading the way to have domains and thus the general internet to be run by companies and people that have specific agenda's. Also as we know increasing the price will force a certain segment to find cheaper alternatives that bypass ICANN. Bryan

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Section V: Reports is missing
by Dorian Iten Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

On https://www.icann.org/public-comments/com-amendment-3-2020-01-03-en, there is no content for Section V: Reports. Best, Dorian Iten

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] please do not increase .COM domains prices
by design.sense6 Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Please do not increase .COM domains price. it will effect badly on our blogs. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] (no subject)
by Daniel Martinez Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Hola, vengo de un país en donde la corrupción se ve por todos lados... Y me parece que lo que están haciendo con la firma de este nuevo acuerdo es a todas luces una muestra de oportunismo financiero de su parte....

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Price increases
by appy beemer Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Your price increases will make it harder for people to start businesses. I work with people who are tiny businesses just starting out. They are budgeting to the penny to get those businesses off the ground, and even small increases will harm their ability to do that. Appy Beemer

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Against domain price increase
by Jose Luis Canizales Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I have a few .com domain names. I am against the proposed price increase to .COM domains. Please maintain the price. | Ingeniero de Sistemas y Computación. | Jlcanizales.com <http://jlcanizales.com/> | joc.kni <http://jlcanizales.com/> | +57 312 896 33 41

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] I am against this amendment regarding .com price increases
by K. Steckel Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Good morning. I am a freelance artist/small business owner of SteckelFX LLC, whose website is steckelfx.com. My website is very important to my business, as it acts as both a resume, and a point of reference for my customers. I am very much against the proposed amendment regarding .com pricing. The suggested change that an increase of 7% each year for 4 years, a 2 year freeze, and then a repeat of the cycle with no end or cap in sight is both terrifying and disappointing to me. Terrifying because many freelancer's fiscal situation is tenuous at best, and the prospect of one necessary component (among many other necessary parts) of our livelihood skyrocketing to astronomical and unnecessary proportions fills me with dread, and that makes me disappointed. It disappoints me that the internet, possibly the greatest human invention ever, that thing which connects the world, is having a large portion of it put into a stranglehold. A stranglehold that is the first step to this wonderful source of information being smothered and controlled by only those with the pocketbooks to do so. I understand that a price increase on a simple domain name may be small, but it is a small step towards the giant leap of the fall of the original idea of the internet. The internet has already been twisted by greed and corruption, whose repercussions are difficult for the common user to avoid (case in point, I'm sending this from a google account). I implore you to not aid in this. The complete lack of transparency of why you are receiving 20 MILLION dollars, and furthermore how that money will be spent by you, is worrisome. Please take a moment to put yourself in our shoes, and see how this looks. It looks like a bribe by a powerful corporate entity. It looks like you can be bought. I'm not accusing you of this, but I ask that you think about how it looks. I am disheartened by these actions that you have taken, and it does not paint a good picture of the future. I have taken the time to write you these comments, even though I doubt that you will take them into consideration. As was shown when the price-caps were removed from .org, .info, and .biz Top Level Domains. When over 3500 people in your community are against an action-- when less than .001% of them support the price cap removal-- it is hard to believe that you have an interest in what we the people have to say when you appear to ignore our voice. It wounds us that you removed those pricecaps based primarily on a *biased preliminary* analysis that did not reference any data. Where is the sense or logic in that? Once again I implore you to reconsider this amendment, for your own image if not for the ethical and moral well-being of the internet. Sincerely, Steckel Bleier -- SteckelFX LLC -- Your client and a member of the ICANN community

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by athena Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Regarding Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement My opposition to this amendment is pretty simple. I manage several domains and it is a constant challenge to keep clients from clicking on fake, overpriced, domain registration emails taking advantage of their ignorance about how things work. The high price has been the biggest reveal. Climbing prices for the real thing only contributes to an internet environment riddled with suspicion & distrust. It has been restorative to deal with real businesses offering the real fees; but the worst thing about no cap on raising the fees is how it will exclude many legitimate small businesses, already strapped by a variety of monthly fees, from participating in the web. Athena Holtey TopKayaker / GeoOdyssey LLC "Promoting safe and skilled kayaking from sea to shining sea." 1805 Route 16 Center Ossipee, NH 03814 603-733-7736

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Not ok with this!
by Jesus Ruppel Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Why did you make this deal behind closed doors when you know it can affect 40% of websites worldwide?? I hope you have a good explanation for this and of course I leave this comment to let you know that I am "against" this! -- Jesús A. Ruppel

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] "Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement" is monopoly
by Anish M. Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

The TLD using for a person or personal use get impacted as the decision-makers have back support with corporate and without concern of the Users taking decisions is like creating a monopoly. The proposal should have a lock with Giving full clearance change in charges as per the Agreement period and with voting it should have agreed by every TDL users about the price increase as per the agreement period.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] ICANN Rate Increase for .com website
by Atty. Theodore D. Kafkas Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Good Morning, Please don't increase the ICANN Rate for .com website. Thank you. -- Sincerely, Atty. Theodore D. Kafkas Law Office of Theodore D. Kafkas P.O. Box 320072 Franklin, WI 53132 www.kafkaslaw.com kafkaslaw(a)gmail.com (414) 751-4304 ** This transmission from the Law Office of Theodore D. Kafkas may contain information that is privileged, confidential and protected by the attorney-client privilege and/or attorney work product. If you are not the addressee, note that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please destroy it and notify this law office immediately.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Very Disappointing
by Scott Drinkwater Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Very disappointing to see this deal being done behind closed doors and with upto 70% price rise over the next 10 years. I hope you will look into changing this, all you will do is force people not use domain names or move to something new. Closing off people that could access the services. Kind Regards Scott Drinkwater London

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] COM price increase
by Karim F. Nappo Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

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. ICANN is supposed to govern the domain name system in the public interest.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Pricing
by Jodi Ryan Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Your back door deals are an affront to the American people and Business owners like myself. Please publish your price increases just like EVERY OTHER UTILITY and allow public input. Sent from my iPhone

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Verisign Contract Changes
by Nicholas Major Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I was disappointed to learn that under the new contract changes with Verisign that they would be allowed to increase the price on .com domains. I am just a regular internet user, but I have many .com domains. .com domains are still the most common and best TLD to own. Allowing this increase could increase the hold that large corporations already have on the internet. It creates a barrier of entry for small organizations, businesses, and individuals to be able to own one of the most powerful domains. This decreases the democratization of the internet which is important to maintain and hold. Please revise the new contract with Verisign to restrict price changes for .com domains to keep the internet accessible and democratic for as many people as possible. Thank you for your time. - Nick

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] COM Price increase
by Kons Rez Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Hello, I would like to voice my opposition to Proposed Amendment 3. I believe that the global DNS registration system should be run primarily as a public concern. The only entities that stand to benefit from the proposed arrangement are verisign itself, at the expense of the public. These price hikes will impact the millions of small, independent businesses and developers that rely on the system as is to make their livelihood. Further, this could prove yet another point of pressure that convinces a small business to make their online presence exclusively in the Facebook walled garden and eschew the web itself. The web, and global DNS, were envisioned to be run for the public good, and they SHOULD be run for the public good. Deals such as this are an abdication of that mandate; short sighted profit chasing at the expense of all else. Please do not adopt this proposal.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement
by Paul Coleman Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Shouldn't the Internet be free and open? Because ICANN is in a unique position to leverage rate increases they should? Because a handful of corrupt and greedy executives at the top decide they can take advantage and get wealthy the rest of us should be made to pay for they're jets? Do the right thing, ICANN, and don't raise our prices.

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Please don't increase .com price
by M.Fahad Farhan Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

I am from Bangladesh. People pay for the .com but if you increase the price some people can not continue... As all the .com domain is not using for commercial purpose. Please consider the situation. Regards, Fahad Farhan Domain reseller

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[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Saying No to Dot Com Price Rise
by Unakriti Channel Feb. 11, 2020

Feb. 11, 2020

Please do not raise dot com prices! Kind regards Unakriti

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