Icann moves to cap .com price hikes

New deal would eliminate the proposed registry-level transaction fee

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has proposed a revised agreement which, if approved, will settle all pending litigation with VeriSign and cap the frequency of permitted price increases on .com domain registrations.

Icann's new proposals contain changes to a tentative deal struck in October 2005, following a "significant response" from the wider internet community.

The internet community at large, and groups such as the Coalition For Icann Transparency (CFIT), had previously expressed concern over Icann's deal with VeriSign concerning the future of the .com domain.

The previous deal gave VeriSign control of the domain in perpetuity, and allowed it to increase the price for domain name registration by seven per cent a year.

The CFIT even registered a complaint with the Competition Directorate of the European Commission.

The new deal would eliminate the proposed registry-level transaction fee, which would have been passed through directly to registrars.

It also proposes a revision to the Icann consensus policy limitation relating to the introduction of new registry services, and a clarification of the permissible uses of traffic data.

Incorporating new service-level specifications for the .com registry was also mooted.

The proposed agreement documentation has been posted for public comment until 20 February, while the proposed settlement remains subject to the final approval or disapproval of the Icann board.