[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Protest of changes impacting .COM domains

Dave Webb davewebb5280 at gmail.com
Tue Feb 11 04:09:21 UTC 2020


I run a small web design and marketing consulting business serving other
small businesses and nonprofits. I help these organizations by building and
maintaining websites based primarily on .COM and .ORG TLD's. Securing a
domain on these TLD's has historically been a very easy and affordable part
of building an organization's online presence. However, it seems that the
organizations that should be looking out for the best interests of the
Internet community to continue that ease and affordability are giving in to
greed that will make it difficult for small businesses.

First, it was discouraging to learn of the Internet Society's (ISOC)
proposed sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR), including management
of the .ORG TLD, to private equity firm Ethos Capital, and of ICAAN's tepid
response to protests to the sale. This action could cause real harm to the
multitude of nonprofit organizations doing great good in the world.

Then to learn of  ICAAN's contract changes with Verisign impacting the .COM
domain on the heels of this demonstrates a disturbing trend among the
governing bodies of the Internet that seems to be motivated by pure greed.
The fact that Verisign will be allowed to increase prices as much as 70%
over the next ten years, will also be allowed to operate as a registrar
itself, and that they have agreed to pay ICAAN an extra $20 million dollars
over the next five years seems like a major conflict of interest from both
parties. These changes do not benefit the hundreds of thousands of small
businesses that depend on .COM domains.

Before sealing this deal, I hope ICAAN will consider the ethics of such an
arrangement and remember the community that it serves.

Sincerely
Dave Webb
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20/attachments/20200210/a5b74ea6/attachment.html>


More information about the Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20 mailing list