Wholesale prices for domains will rise from $9.59 to $10.26 on September 1st, according to Verisign, the registrar of ".com" domains. Thus, domain prices will rise by 7%, which is the maximum possible increase given the legal agreements, in particular with the US government.
It is noteworthy that the company has been raising prices by an average of 7% for four years straight. Now, due to the price increase for domain names this year, Verisign will not be able to raise prices for another two years, after which the company will be able to continue the four-year cycle.
Earlier, several organizations, including the Demand Progress Education Foundation, the Revolving Door Project, and the Economic Freedom Project, asked authorities to help put an end to Verisign's monopoly in the .com domain zone. The demands also included a call for ICANN to terminate its cooperation with the company after the current contract expires. This call was justified by the fact that Verisign abuses its position by spontaneously increasing the cost of domain names, thereby interfering with the normal operation of web admins and webmasters.
It is also expected that resellers and registrars will follow Verisign's lead and raise prices for domains, likely exceeding the 7% index.
