Hello, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the ICANN contract with Verisign affecting .com domains. 40% of all registered domain names online are .COM, including many diverse sites of artists, artisans, writers, public intellectuals, and more. According to this new agreement, Verisign will be allowed to increase the wholesale price to registrars for .COM domains every year for 8 out of the next 10 years, and the increases don’t stop there. This will mean that .COM wholesale domain prices can grow by more than 70% over and above current prices over the next decade. The contract also allows for other price increases, which could drive prices up further, ultimately making .COM domains less accessible and more expensive for everybody. This is a betrayal of the ideals of the internet as a forum for sharing, free expression, and creativity. ICANN should reject these changes to the contract in favor of protecting the affordability of .COM domains for everyone. Signed, Gina Helfrich