[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Disagree with raising .com prices

[Brent Anderson]

Hi ICANN,

I own a few .com domains. Given that each domain is ultimately represented by a few entries in a few databases, and that domain name accessibility includes keeping them highly affordable, I urge you to not give in to increased prices for Verisign. Those few bytes on disk cost fractions of a fraction of a penny to maintain per year for most domains. What is the demonstrable reason for needing to increase these fees? If Verisign can’t maintain .COM affordability and accessibility at reasonable prices, then should they be the steward of .COM moving forward?

I grew up without much money. Even at $7-ish/year, it was a tough sell for me when I first bought a domain. Countless others face the same problem. Why raise prices and put up barriers to future internet growth without a demonstrable need to keep .COM well-maintained? Is Verisign or ICANN hurting for funds and thus needs to squeeze more from customers?

The end-game for moves like this is the irrelevancy and disruption of ICANN and companies like Verisign, in favor of decentralized/federated protocols that don’t abuse trust. The internet is built of federated websites linking together, not of large centralized corporate interests. Please align your incentives, profit-structure, and stewardship of the domain name system with the realities of the internet’s structure - including keeping .COM prices low for all to enjoy a presence on the internet using a well-recognized and accepted TLD.

Sincerely,
Brent Anderson
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