Skip to main content

VeriSign Raising Domain Registration Fees

VeriSign Raising Domain Registration Fees

Domain registrar and net infrastructure operator VeriSign announced today that it will raise the fees for registering .com and .net domains by $0.40 beginning October 1, 2008. The fee increases are allowed under Verisign’s agreement with ICANN; under that agreement, Verisign can raise fees for .com domain registration in four of the six years between 2006 and 2012.

The new fees for registering a .com domain will be $6.86; a .net domain will run $4.23. These fees are components of th overall cost to register a domain; various registrars have different fee structures, but will likely pass along the fee increases directly to domain buyers.

VeriSign says continued increased in Internet traffic, the proliferation of consumer-driven Internet services, and the need to further fortify the TLD’s infrastructure against “increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks” are behind the fee increases. The company says it plans to increase the capacity of its overall Internet infrastructure tenfold by 2010, pushing bandwidth at key operation centers around the world to over 200 Gbps and expanding its DNS capacity from being able to handle 400 billion queries a day to over 4 trillion queries a day.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Lawmakers urge ICANN to delay new top-level domains
ICANN-new-domain-names-TLD

Several members of the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce have asked the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to delay the planned rollout of new top-level domain policies scheduled for January 12, 2012 (PDF). Although the letter doesn't spell out specific reasons, the representatives asking for a "short delay" to work out "significant uncertainty" about the new top-level domains process for consumers and non-profits, as well as businesses.

Adopted last summer, ICANN's adopted a new policy for top-level domains, or gTLDS, for Generic Top Level Domains. Currently, there are only a couple dozen gTLDs—things like .com, .org—alongside a few hundred country codes like .jp that aren't "generic." In theory, the new wide-open gTLD application process enables virtually any term or name to be registered as a top-level domain, subject to three criteria: applicants have to establish a legitimate claim to the term to be used as a gTLD, they must be an "established public or private organization," and most groups would have to fork over $185,000 to get the top-level domain approved. The application process is scheduled to launch next month.

Read more
VeriSign gets no competition renewing .net contract
ICANN-new-domain-names-TLD

Under the terms of a new contract with ICANN, VeriSign will continue operating the .net top-level Internet domain through the year 2017. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, although terms of the agreement are reportedly in line with the company's existing contract to operate .net—meaning they can choose to raise the cost of a .net domain by up to 10 percent per calendar year.

The .net domain is the third most-popular top-level Internet domain, trailing only .de and .com—.com is also operated by VeriSign. However, while there was significant competition for the contract to operate .net when it last came up for renewal back in 2005—under a deeply contentious and controversial process—a "presumptive right of renewal" clause prevented any other companies from even pitching a competitive bid. All top-level domain operators have similar right-of-renewal clauses in their contracts, with the idea being to encourage them to invest in infrastructure and engage in best-practices operation throughout the entire term of the contract. The right-of-renewal clauses can only be denied if the operators are in egregious breach of terms.

Read more
ICANN approves new top-level domains: Now .anything is possible
ICANN-new-domain-names-TLD

In the most significant change to domain name regulations since the institution of .com, the Board of ICANN, the body that regulates how domain names work, has approved the creation of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that will allow for a near-infinite variety of new website addresses. The colossal decision not only enables corporations and other organizations to create domains like drink.coke or buy.apple, but they could theoretically create .almost .anything .they .can .think .of.
"ICANN has opened the Internet's addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination. No one can predict where this historic decision will take us," said Rod Beckstrom, President and chief executive of ICANN in a statement.
"Today's decision will usher in a new Internet age," said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of ICANN's Board of Directors told reporters. "We have provided a platform for creativity and inspiration, and for the next big dot-thing."
Despite these claims of grandeur, three massive barriers will hold back the onrush of new domains. First, the price: new custom domain available through the program will cost $185,000 to register. Second, those seeking to acquire one of these new domains must prove legitimacy to their claim of the terms they want to use in their web address. Third, only "established public or private organizations" can apply. And those that do must prove that they have the technological infrastructure to support the domain.
Some domain applications may be discarded for other reasons, said Dengate Thrush. For instance, if the domain could infringe on religious or social sensitivities, like .nazi, then ICANN will not approve the creation of the domain.
Currently, a mere 22 gTLDs exist — things like .com, .org, .net or .gov — as well as about 250 country-level domains, like .uk or .cn. ICANN expects between 300 and 1000 new domains to come into existence as a result of the new program.
Organizations who seek a '.anything' domain may send in applications as soon as January 2012, through April 2012. ICANN anticipates that the first new domains will be approved by the end of 2012.
(Image via)

Read more