Increasing these prices can damage to the entrepreneurial atmosphere. From our end, this price hike seems unnecessary, especially if the funds aren't going to anything to improve the future of the internet. I understand that increasing the wholesale price is probably intended to affect the wholesalers only, perhaps even designed to prevent the wholesalers from profiteering on the domains that they've purchased in order to artificially raise the price of said domains, but being realistic, the consumers will probably take the largest hit from this change no matter how you hash it. Not only does this limit access to those who wish to have a stake in the web world, it is detrimental to the integrity of business on the internet as a whole.

If this truly is an attempt to "widen" the market, in that, more domain registries were to open up as a result of this change, where the existing registrars can no longer afford near as many domains in bulk in which to profit off of, my fear as specified is that the consumer is impacted the most. There are many small/medium sized businesses who own many domains for each of their own products who will be affected in ways disproportionate to the existing registrars. The businesses targeted by this motive would still come out on top...

It is as if a utility bill were suddenly and perpetually raised, while its funds were not used to improve its infrastructure.

Please keep this in mind.

Thanks,
-Codi