[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Concerns regarding "Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement"

[Patrick Robertson]

Dear sir/madam,

I am writing in light of the recently Proposed Amendment 3 to the .COM Registry Agreement. I have several concerns regarding this proposal, as I believe the proposal has been made in secret without little transparency. I believe the deal between ICANN and Verisign will also lead to further monopolisation of the internet space, and lead to increased costs for all. If ICANN requires further funding to support its initiatives, then I suggest it receive this funding via increased ICANN fees on domain name purchases/renewals, as opposed to collecting fees via a third party. This will lead to greater transparency and accountability.

I also ask you to clarify the following details before any action is taken to approve the proposal:

1. Provide transparency and information on the negotiations between ICANN and Verisign regarding the deal.
Please provide detail meeting minutes and/or email exchanges between ICANN and Verisign showing the negotiation process for this deal. This is in order to better understand what we as internet users can expect to happen over the next 10 years, and also the advantages and disadvantages for ICANN of this deal.

2. Explain in further detail what ICANN will do with the extra $20 million in funding it will receive from Verisign.
Please outline the spending plans for the $20 million ICANN will receive, and explain why this money is required at this time.

Regards,

Patrick Roberston