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
