ICANN and Verisign Announce Proposed Amendment to .COM Registry Agreement - Seite 2

While Verisign does not set retail prices for .COM domain names, the proposed amendment to the .COM RA will provide pricing certainty by limiting the potential maximum wholesale price for .COM domain names. For example, if the four standard price increases are taken in this six-year period, the maximum wholesale price for .COM domain names would be $8.39 no earlier than Oct. 26, 2020 (compared to $7.85 today), and cannot exceed $10.26 until October 2026.

In addition to aligning the pricing for .COM registry services with the Cooperative Agreement, the updated .COM RA and LOI achieve four additional important objectives:

• Alignment with certain technical and reporting obligations for the .COM TLD with those in the Base gTLD Registry Agreement
• Incorporation of commitments related to the implementation of the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)
• Formalization of a framework by which ICANN and Verisign will work together to support additional enhancements to security and stability of the DNS, including to help combat DNS security threats
• Additional funding to ICANN to continue to conduct, facilitate and support activities that preserve and enhance the security and stability of the DNS, in support of Verisign’s and ICANN’s longstanding commitment in this area and ICANN’s core mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the internet's unique identifier systems

Because of the significance of the .COM TLD, these security, stability and resiliency enhancements will benefit internet users worldwide. The .COM TLD is an important part of the internet’s global addressing system, providing the foundation for hundreds of millions of websites, apps, email accounts and core internet infrastructure elements across the globe. The .COM TLD is an important part of global commerce, making its continued secure, stable and resilient operation a top priority for both ICANN and Verisign.

These obligations expand on Verisign’s long-standing commitment to evolving and improving DNS security, stability and resiliency, through technical innovation, active participation in groups like ICANN’s Root Server System Advisory Committee and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee, as well as in Verisign’s role as root zone maintainer, and operator of two of the world’s 13 authoritative root servers. For more than 22 years, Verisign has maintained 100 percent operational accuracy and stability for the .COM DNS.