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<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I am against the proposed price increases to .com domain names as
I feel this will negatively impact individuals and emerging or
small businesses, tipping the (once much more level) playing field
towards established and larger entities and corporations (for whom
such price increases are insignificant and helpfully serve to
remove low level and first mover competition for them).<br>
</p>
<p>This is quite sad since the web once provided an historically
unusual diversity and equality of opportunity that I considered a
significant aspect of its underlying spirit (along with openness,
freedom of speech/ideas, and co-operation). Something that slips
away from us as it becomes increasingly centralised and under
control of large commercial quasi-monopolies.<br>
</p>
<p>I was under the impression that ICANN governed the domain name
system in the public interest, and <span class="commtext c00">had
become a central piece of the modern internet largely by being
perceived as a well governed non-profit organization</span>. It
seems that by allowing the increase of prices beyond that which is
necessary to fulfil the provision of .com, it will ultimately lose
ICANN good will (or I should say a more good will, since people
are still smarting from the way .org was managed recently).<br>
</p>
<p>Amongst the more tech savvy there are already alternative
decentralised systems emerging, so I guess there is that. It would
seem unlikely that they will gain traction and overtake the
current centralised and increasingly commercialised approaches,
but then again - many said that about the free software movement
and open source and look how that turned out online.<br>
</p>
<p>The current rate of $7.85 already appears more than justified
since other registries claim they can offer the same service for
much less, estimating the <span class="commtext c00">management
of the registry to cost between $2.50 to $2.90 per domain name
per year. As processing power, storage and bandwidth increases
dramatically and becomes cheaper with the passing years, prices
for providing the service appear to be heading in the other
direction at some pace.</span></p>
<p><span class="commtext c00">This seems contrary to what I would
expect to happen in what is purported to be a capitalist system.
It leads one to wonder why that is the case. <br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="commtext c00">Perhaps decentralisation and
deregulation, the removal of ICANNs non-profit status, and
increased competition in service provision is on the horizon. Or
for an emerging alternative to take it's place. ICANNs recent
handling of the .org domain and this recent .com proposal
appears to be providing some fuel to the fire in the bellies of
those trying to push in that direction.</span></p>
<p><span class="commtext c00">It will be interesting to see how
things work out in the long run.<br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="commtext c00">Best wishes<br>
<br>
John Barker<br>
</span></p>
<p><span class="commtext c00"><br>
</span></p>
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