As an entrepreneur and owner of several .com domains I was very disappointed to hear that ICANN has secretly agreed to a contract change which could see prices rising by as much as 70% over the next decade. This will stifle the earliest and rawest kind of start-up innovation which has made the internet the dynamic and vibrant place it is today. By placing barriers to poorer and disadvantaged people from staking claim to the domain names they feel represent their new idea or start-up business is not in anybody’s long term interests, including ICANN’s.

Furthermore the lack of transparency regarding what the proceeds of any funds from Verisign will be used for is deeply worrying and smacks of poor integrity or outright corruption.

Thanks,

Paul Codd