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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>ICANN announced significant changes to the contract it has with Verisign, Inc. who operate the .COM top-level-domain (TLD). ICANN made these changes in secret, without consulting or incorporating feedback from the ICANN community or Internet users. According to this new agreement, Verisign will be allowed to increase the wholesale price to registrars for .COM domains every year for 8 out of the next 10 years, and with no language to freeze future increases. This will mean that .COM wholesale domain prices can grow by more than 70% over and above current prices over the next decade. The contract also allows for other price increases, which could drive prices up further, ultimately making .COM domains less accessible and more expensive for everybody. Alongside these contract changes, Verisign agreed to pay ICANN an additional $20 million dollars over five years to support ICANN's domain name system initiatives, without any clarity about how ICANN will spend the money, or who will ensure that the funds are properly spent on domain infrastructure. These changes will have significant impact on the Internet for years to come, and only ICANN and Verisign have participated in this decision. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As one who holds several domain names and a small business owner, this is alarming and should not be implemented without significant input from all stakeholders. In an age when we desperately need clarity and fairness, this is an utter disgrace. <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>