Having been trained at two universities that were on the original ARPANET and DARPANET I have watched the web explode with possibilities for helping humanity. Many of us are also watching the corruption that has crept in, as with the RSA Encryption back-door, purchased without public permission by the NSA for $10M. [Ref: https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/20/5231006/nsa-paid-10-million-for-a-back-d...] [https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ftC5eyN-nHddBc0z9LzTMT_9vsQ=/0x33:640x393/1600x900/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/2356607/code.jpg]<https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/20/5231006/nsa-paid-10-million-for-a-back-door-into-rsa-encryption-according-to> NSA paid $10 million to put its backdoor in RSA encryption, according to Reuters report - The Verge<https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/20/5231006/nsa-paid-10-million-for-a-back-d...> When leaked documents claimed to have caught the NSA inserting bad protocols into the national standards board NIST, it raised more questions than answers. Why would the NSA go to the trouble of... www.theverge.com As Nicholas Negroponte once said, "The internet treats censorship [of the truth] like damage, and routes around it". The same is true for "backroom" decision making. People find out, and then the people and organizations are held in contempt, sometimes for years. The changes you are currently proposing will have significant impact on the Internet for years to come, and only ICANN and Verisign have participated in the current round of proposed changes. This is undemocratic and not in the tradition of an open internet for all. Please extend the decision making process in both time and in pervue to prevent autocratic decision-making processes from bringing further harm to the internet. Sincerely, L. Van Warren MS CS (Utah - DARPA node), MS AE (Illinois ARPA node)