Lifting of Price Controls is Crazy

[Jeff Dairiki <dairiki@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Given the single provider nature of the domain name registration system,
combined withe the importance of its product to so many on-line business
and non-commercial entities, it would be tempting insanity to impose no
controls on the pricing of their product.

The allocation and administration of domain names is critical to the
infrastructure of the internet.  To preserve the openness of the
internet domain name registration must remain an equitable and open
process, with equitable and fair pricing.

Allowing registries to charge whatever they want for each particular
domain name give them immense power.   At the extreme, it allows them to
effectively shut down any internet operation, simply by pricing their
domain name at an out-of-reach price.

These are fundamentally flawed contracts, and should not be approved by
ICANN. The precedents these contracts would create are ominous, even
worse then the .com proposed settlement agreement (that the DoC has yet
to approve). Why is ICANN even renegotiating these registry agreements,
when the existing terms donʼt expire for several years in some cases?

Sincerely,
Geoffrey T. Dairiki
Shoreline, WA