Dear ICANN, I've been informed that ICANN is slated to accept $20 million additional dollars from Versign to continue service registrations. This could lead to 70% higher fees and such potential for mass expense to teh public requires disclosure of the purpose of the additional funding. Absent such explanations, it may be necessary to pursue regulation through the FTC, FCC or other authorities to ensure that public access to what amounts to public space is not exploited without oversight. Until now, this has been deemed unnecessary, but the most recent change proposal opens possibilities to consumer exploitation and restriction of trade. This will not be well received among honest governance bodies and may lead to unwelcome administrative costs to Verisgn, ICANN, and vendors increasing expenses that benefit no one at all. These costs should not be weighed positively against the current system, so I implore Verisign and ICANN to tighten the parameters of the contract to head off potential misuse and looking to domain registrations as a lucrative source of profit. The backlash will be fierce. The internet is a place where bad press can be abundant and swift. Mark Twain was quoted, " Never pick a fight with a man who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton.” It seems yet wiser not to pick fights with people who wield pixels that are magnitudes cheaper yet. For every domain registered there is a webmaster with ICANN fees as an expense. It is as if every domain can pick up a phone to a Congressman. --Bill Jacobs First Stop Tech Corporate Web Site Development Vendor (and computer repair) On Mon, Feb 10, 2020 at 4:09 PM Namecheap <support@namecheap.com> wrote:
We have important information to share with you that will affect the price of your .COM domains.
View in browser <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> [image: Namecheap] <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> Help Us Avoid .COM Price Increases
Hi there!
We have important information to share with you that will affect the price of your .COM domains.
What's happening?
Last month, ICANN, the organization that oversees domain names, announced significant changes to the contract it has with Verisign, Inc. who operate the .COM top-level-domain (TLD).
ICANN made these changes in secret, without consulting or incorporating feedback from the ICANN community or Internet users. Although ICANN has a history of making similar deals behind closed doors, and also of ignoring unified opposition against such action, we are focused on leading the fight against price increases that will harm our customers (and the Internet as a whole). This is a crucial time to raise our voices given that *.COM domains make up 40% of all registered domain names online*.
What does this change mean?
Wholesale registries charge Namecheap a set fee per domain name per year. 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.
Why is ICANN doing this?
Alongside these contract changes, *Verisign agreed to pay ICANN an additional $20 million dollars over five years to support* ICANN's domain name system initiatives, without any clarity about how ICANN will spend the money, or who will ensure that the funds are properly spent on domain infrastructure.
So, what can you do to help?
These changes will have significant impact on the Internet for years to come, and only ICANN and Verisign have participated in this decision. If you want to make sure your voice is heard, let ICANN know how you feel about their recent decision. *The Public Comment period <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> is open until February 14, 2020.*
You can leave your comment on the .COM proposal using ICANN's form <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> . Find Out More <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...>
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