[registrars] ICANN fees

[Rob Hall]

I concur with Tom about showing the fee seperately on our invoices,
regardless of how it actually gets paid to ICANN.

I recall the US congress being quite upset about an "Internet Tax" when
ICANN first started.  In effect, that is exactly what this is, a tax on each
domain name levied by ICANN.

I suggest we start breaking it out on our invoices, and letting our
customers see it.  Showing every little tax and charge has worked for the
Cellular phone industry for years.

Rob.

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-registrars at gnso.icann.org
[mailto:owner-registrars at gnso.icann.org]On Behalf Of Tom D'Alleva
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2003 8:58 AM
To: registrars at dnso.org
Subject: RE: [registrars] ICANN fees


I would like to raise the issue again about allowing registrars to break out
the ICANN fee when registering domains.  I believe the benefits to all
parties outweigh any of the concerns.

Concerns
1. loss of control - it is a partial illusion that registrars have any
control.
2. Consumers dealing directly with ICANN instead of going to their registrar
first.


Benefits
1. Provides a mechanism to pass on ICANN budget increases in a simple and
consistent manner without registrars having to figure out how to bury or eat
these costs.  This is especially useful for smaller registrars who have
limited margins in their prices.
2. Allows consumers to know and better understand where their money is
going.  Consumers will directly complain about issues to ICANN which will
lower support costs and potentially improve customer satisfaction.
3. Gives ICANN greater flexibility in raising funds while increasing
accountability to both registrars and consumers.
4. Continues to give registrar limited control in the funding process.