[Comments-com-amendment-3-03jan20] Comment on .COM price increases

[Elsa Razborsek]

Dear Madam/Sir,

I have recently been informed of ICAAN and Verisign's intention to
dramatically change the way .COM domains are priced and operated -- a
decision that was unilaterally taken, without consulting the ICAAN
community and internet users.

I've learned that Verisign will be allowed to increase the wholesale price
to registrars for .COM domains by 7% per year (way above inflation!), from
2020 to 2023 and that, after a 2-year “freeze”, Verisign will be able to
increase prices by 7% per year from 2026 to 2029, followed by another
2-year "freeze". This means that .COM domains could cost approximately 70%
more than the current wholesale. Additionally, should this cycle of steep
price increases followed by "freezes" be allowed to continue indefinitely,
this means that owners of .COM domains would effectively be signing a
"blank check" when purchasing a .COM domain.

Furthermore, I understand that Verisign agreed to pay ICANN an extra USD 20
million over 5e years to "support ICANN’s initiatives regarding the
security and stability of the domain name system". That said, the way these
funds are meant to be used is unclear. And the fact that Verisign will
henceforth be allowed to operate as a domain register does pose some
ethical questions about the real purpose of this USD 20 million transaction.

Based on all of the above, I hereby express my disappointment with the way
ICAAN is operating vis-a-vis its community of users, which does not appear
to be in good faith. I hope that this comment, alongside so many others
from frustrated users, will lead you to reconsider the above-mentioned
changes that you are planning to implement.

Kind regards,
Elsa
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