I am against any changes that will increase the cost of domain names. Verisign should NOT be allowed to increase .com prices just because they have given a "donation" to ICANN. This is clearly NOT a donation. This is a corrupt bribe. They are paying $20m and getting near $1B in return paid for by users. This is WRONG. The internet is not supposed to be corrupted by this type of pay for play. Why are you allowing them to make all this profit? Not supposed to be this way. Please block this! I read a defense of this “ICANN org is not a price regulator and will defer to the expertise of relevant competition authorities. As such, ICANN has long-deferred to the DOC and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for the regulation of pricing for .COM registry services,” the organization notes in a public comment period <https://www.icann.org/public-comments/com-amendment-3-2020-01-03-en> on the proposed agreement." This might be a valid argument if anyone actually believed that the US DOJ were not also now corrupt as of 2019/2020 which clearly the DOJ has become both political and corrupt. It seems 98 per cent of public comments were opposed to the cap-lifting. But yet ICANN approved controversial change <https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/07/29/icann_slammed_org_price/>s - which were subsequently labelled a "sham" - without giving any rationale or explanation. Regards, Jason Jason Maher <https://www.know.ee/9a6cnOJSjut> Craictastic Founder / Owner Mobile: 831-999-3069 www.craictastic.com [image: https://www.know.ee/9a6cnOJSjut] <https://www.know.ee/9a6cnOJSjut> <https://www.know.ee/9a6cnOJSjut> Open this email on your cell phone and click email signature or image above to view my full digital business card and import vCard contact info into your cell phone contacts <https://www.know.ee/9a6cnOJSjut>. [image: Namecheap] <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> Help Us Avoid .COM Price Increases Hi there! We have important information <http://mailtrackemailout1.namecheap.com/ls/click?upn=QqNWTFdMeHiLPmRAI5EzI5f...> 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...> .