<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color:
rgb(54, 49, 53); font-size: 20px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><font
size="-1" face="Calibri">The National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA) recently<span> </span><a
href="https://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2018/ntia-statement-amendment-35-cooperative-agreement-verisign"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;
color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer;">announced</a><span> </span>that
it would “permi[t] Verisign to pursue with ICANN an up to 7%
increase in the prices for .com domain names”, but it<span> </span><strong
style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">does not</strong><span> </span>of
course, compel ICANN to agree to any such increases. Any such
decision regarding .com pricing remains with ICANN.</font></p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color:
rgb(54, 49, 53); font-size: 20px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><font
size="-1" face="Calibri">Demand that ICANN REFUSE a potential
price increase on .COM domains!<br style="box-sizing:
border-box;">
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;">
Verisign is entitled to a reasonable fee for running the
registry on behalf of ICANN. Verisign currently charges<span> </span><strong
style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">$7.85 per
.com domain name per year. </strong><span> </span>The cost to
operate the registry, after taking into account the expensive
infrastructure necessary to provide reliable and secure
operations and high overhead, has been estimated at<span> </span><strong
style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><a
href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/11/02/dotcom_domains_pricing/"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color:
transparent; color: inherit; text-decoration: underline;
cursor: pointer;">$1.00</a> to<span> </span><a
href="https://domainnamewire.com/2018/09/11/verisign-coperative-agreement/"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color:
transparent; color: inherit; text-decoration: underline;
cursor: pointer;">$3.50</a> per domain name per year.</strong></font></p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color:
rgb(54, 49, 53); font-size: 20px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><font
size="-1" face="Calibri">If the proposed fee increases go into
effect, by the end of the six-year agreement term, the fee for
each .com domain name will increase to $10.29 per year,<span> </span><a
href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/11/02/dotcom_domains_pricing/"
rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent;
color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer;">a
30% jump from current levels</a>. Even conservatively
assuming that in six years’ time there are only 140 million .com
domain name registrants instead of the current 138 million, that
increase of $2.44 per year, per domain name, would result in<span> </span><strong
style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">$341,000,000</strong><span> </span>more
revenue for Verisign per year. That money would come out of the
pockets of .com registrants like you.</font></p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color:
rgb(54, 49, 53); font-size: 20px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><font
size="-1" face="Calibri">Higher fees for Verisign are not
justified, as demonstrated by the following four key points:<br
style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;">
1. Verisign is a provider of technical registry services, it
does not own the .com name space;<br style="box-sizing:
border-box;">
2. Unlike Verisign's fees, the prices set by registrars and
domain name investors are held in check by competition;<br
style="box-sizing: border-box;">
3. Verisign is already well-paid for its services, as evidenced
by its substantial profits; and<br style="box-sizing:
border-box;">
4. ICANN need not approve fee hikes; on the contrary, ICANN
ought to assert its right to set reasonable fee levels for its
hired registry manager.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;">
Make your voice heard and join us by signing the petition to
REFUSE any attempted price increase by Verisign!</font></p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.5em 0px 0px; color:
rgb(54, 49, 53); font-size: 20px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start;
text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><font
size="-1" face="Calibri"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;
font-weight: bolder;">We, the millions of .com domain name
registrants all over the world, stand to lose the most from a
.com price increase, and we DEMAND THAT ICANN REFUSE ANY .COM
PRICE INCREASE.</strong></font></p>
</body>
</html>