There appears to be very little clarity, and closed-door dealmaking going on, that privileges one company's profit-making. In fact, from my perspective this looks like rent-seeking behaviour that may merit antitrust action; de facto monopolies need to be regulated for consumer protection. 

If there is a perceived need to increase pricing in order to maintain or expand domain name infrastructure, or to institute protections against domain hijacking or fake-site spoofing etc, it has not been communicated transparently, neither to domain resellers nor to the general public.If we are to be charged more per year, then there must be a concomitant increase in value delivered or an explanation of the costs involved. 

I look forward to seeing a full, transparent accounting of this proposed price increase, where the money will be spent, and what measures ICANN / Verisign will put in place to ensure that .com domain names remain accessibly priced - perhaps ensuring that individuals and small businesses with income below a certain threshold will not pay more than a set maximum fee (say, $150/year), while charging more to individuals and companies who can easily afford it. 

Sincerely, 

A.J. Kandy

UX Designer / Digital Strategist

Calgary, AB, Canada