April 2019 - comments-org-renewal-18mar19@icann.org

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] .org, .info, and .biz domain fee renewal increase
by 10X Business Club Program April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Hello, Your decision for PIR to set domain prices arbitrarily is unjust on small business owners and unacceptable to me and a lot more other small business owners. Many business owners are struggling to keep up with their domain renewal fees at the moment. With your proposed action, there is a big chance that many global small businesses may discontinue their website operations due to high cost of maintenance. Your proposal is unjust and hurting to business in this case, and unacceptable to the small business community. Nkem Mpamah

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] protect internet users: don't allow drastic rate increases
by Dave Ruder April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Domain vendors being free to raise rates drastically each year would be a disaster for internet users and content creators. It would encourage unscrupulous bulk domain name purchasing, lining the pockets of scammers at the expense of individuals and organizations who are trying to make a home for their work on the internet. It would needlessly strengthen the hand of the Facebooks, Amazons, and Googles of the internet but stifling anything smaller in the ecosystem. Just as cities and states need rent control to prevent landlords from further crippling tenants, the goals of the internet are far better served when domains are kept inexpensive and readily available. Sincerely, Dave Ruder Brooklyn, NY

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] .Org Pricing
by Nicholas Goodchild April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Hi When something is a de facto monopoly without regulation then extortionate pricing is logical and common. The only fair options to consumers are either price caps or increased competition. The costs associated with the administration and supply of domains can only have decreased, so any rise will be disproportionate and rampant profiteering. I have a dot org that I maintain for my elderly parents and serves as their primary email address. If the cost on it was to increase dramatically I would have no option but to migrate them, but this would cause excessive disruption and no doubt mean that they would miss out on correspondence. Thank you, Nick -- Nicholas Goodchild edunikki(a)edunikki.com www.nicholasgoodchild.com

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Linus Arver April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I am a .org registrant. Legacy gTLDs are fundamentally different from for-profit new gTLDs and should be treated that way. Legacy TLDs are what the internet was built on. They are essentially a public trust. They are very different than new gTLDs which were created, bought and paid for by private parties. Registrants of these legacy extensions should be entitled to price predictability & stability. Advancements in technology should be driving the cost of operating a registry down, yet prices keep going up? Removing price caps is unfair to the millions of domain registrants. They will have no price protections. Every registrant will be at the complete mercy and whims of the registry. This could result in a transfer of funds from millions of non-profits to one non-profit, with no benefits to the domain registrants. ICANN is supposed to represent a "bottom up, consensus-driven multistakeholder model". ICANN should not unilaterally impose URS in legacy TLDs when that issue is precisely what is being examined by the volunteer ICANN Working Group who has been mandated to review this issue. ICANN should be looking out for the .org registrants, in particular the non-profits. There is no "public benefit" justification to these changes. It is just a handout to business at the expense of registrants’ rights and protections. Where are the protections for the millions of domain registrants that this could effect in a negative way? These changes would give way too much power to the registry. This is not acceptable for a "public benefit" organization that exists to represent many stakeholders.

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Mark Janssen April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I am a .org registrant. Legacy gTLDs are fundamentally different from for-profit new gTLDs and should be treated that way. Legacy TLDs are what the internet was built on. They are essentially a public trust. They are very different than new gTLDs which were created, bought and paid for by private parties. Registrants of these legacy extensions should be entitled to price predictability & stability. Advancements in technology should be driving the cost of operating a registry down, yet prices keep going up? Removing price caps is unfair to the millions of domain registrants. They will have no price protections. Every registrant will be at the complete mercy and whims of the registry. This could result in a transfer of funds from millions of non-profits to one non-profit, with no benefits to the domain registrants. ICANN is supposed to represent a "bottom up, consensus-driven multistakeholder model". ICANN should not unilaterally impose URS in legacy TLDs when that issue is precisely what is being examined by the volunteer ICANN Working Group who has been mandated to review this issue. ICANN should be looking out for the .org registrants, in particular the non-profits. There is no "public benefit" justification to these changes. It is just a handout to business at the expense of registrants’ rights and protections. Where are the protections for the millions of domain registrants that this could effect in a negative way? These changes would give way too much power to the registry. This is not acceptable for a "public benefit" organization that exists to represent many stakeholders. -- Mark Janssen -- Sig-I/O Automatisering mark(a)sig-io.nl http://sig-io.nl Phone: +31-6-5886.7992 Linux, Unix, Networking, Hosting, Virtual Private Servers and more

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Domain fees
by John Gauthier April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Since we are Military Veterans not for profit organization, any fee increase would hamper our ability to maintain a web site. John Gauthier USS Northampton Reunion Association Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Comment
by Jirocreative Support April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Removing the price cap is wrong. PIR could suddenly start charging registrars 100 times as much. In turn, registrars would have no choice but to pass these charges on to customers. This is what happens when too much power is centralized.

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Comment on proposed changes to the .org registry agreement
by Michael Mack April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

To whom it may concern: I am a .org registrant -- and I am appalled! Am I to understand that ICANN would effectively penalize churches and religious organizations? Cultural institutions and associations? Sports teams? Civic groups? Schools? Environmental initiatives? Social and fraternal organizations? Health organizations? Clubs and community-volunteer groups? You must be kidding me! ICANN staff should not unilaterally impose URS in legacy TLDs when that issue is precisely what is being examined by the volunteer ICANN Working Group who has been mandated to review this issue. ICANN policy making is supposed to be a ‘bottom up, multi-stakeholder model’. Legacy gTLDs are fundamentally different from for-profit new gTLDs. Legacy TLDs are essentially a public trust, unlike new gTLDs which were created, bought and paid for by private interests. Registrants of legacy TLDs are entitled to price stability and predictability, and should not be subject to price increases with no maximums. Unlike new gTLDs, registrants of legacy TLDs registered their names and made their online presence on legacy TLDs on the basis that price caps would continue to exist. Unrestrained price increases on the millions of .org registrants who are not-for-profits or non-profits would be unfair to them. Unchecked price increases have the potential to result in hundreds of millions of dollars being transferred from these organizations to one non-profit, the Internet Society, with .org registrants receiving no benefit in return. ICANN should not allow one non-profit nearly unlimited access to the funds of other non-profits. ICANN appears to be entirely catering to registries by removing price caps. ICANN should stand up for the public interest and registrants! Do what is good and right for us all by supporting the .org community -- not penalizing it! Thank you, Michael Mack

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Lincoln DeCoursey April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I am a .org registrant. ICANN does not seem to recognize the difference between a legacy extension created with the support of the US government, that predates the existence of ICANN and that has millions of existing users and the brand new extensions that started off with a new set of rules, in particular no price controls, and no existing registrants. They have completely different characteristics, history, and ownership structure. It is not acceptable for ICANN to ignore these differences and to propose that they be treated the same. Removing price caps is not fair to .org domain owners. Many of them have websites that they have used for years. If price caps are removed, the cost to renew their domain names may become too expensive, and they could be forced to give up websites that are important to them. The Uniform Rapid Suspension policy is too new and untested to apply on domain names that may be 20 years old or more. With the URS, the domain names could be taken down in a matter of days with little notice. ICANN should be doing more to protect owners of .org domain names. Why is ICANN trying to remove price protections for .org domain owners, so many of which are non-profits, so that they can be overcharged for their domain names? Regards, Lincoln -- Lincoln DeCoursey (DECOURSEY.ORG registrant) Email: lincoln(a)decoursey.com

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] .org
by Orlando Big O Barrera April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I'm writing to request that ICANN reconsiders removing registration price caps on .org domains. .org is one of the most widely used and recognized TLD's. If price caps are removed, registration and renewal of these domains may become uneconomical, forcing many important organizations to change their addresses and threatening the prominence of .org. Unlike newer gTLD’s, .org is already very established. Allowing PIR, the registry operator, to act monopolistically with such a prominent TLD goes against what the Web should be. Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows 10

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