Paul Twomey:…[registrars] almost universally don't care for the fees clause, they are generally happy with the agreement…”

In the same article, Paul mentions that he’s been trying to call registrars. He hasn’t called Tucows.

Paul – the Tucows main phone number is (416) 535–0123. I’m at extension 1335.

Theatre1Further, we’ve made it pretty clear that we’re not “generally happy with the agreement” - this isn’t just about price. And we’re not alone in this regard.

If Paul had been on the private briefing held on Monday, or read this blog like you do, he’d know different.

“…the registrars present were not impressed at the prospect of $12 .com registrations, not impressed that Verisign’s commercial interests were being placed ahead of those of the community and not impressed that the settlement negotiations were happening as a backdrop to the recent .net negotiations.”

Although cynical of me, I’d bet that he was on the call and has read this blog. Is Paul being disingenous, or coy? Or is the registrar community just being stage-managed?

A couple of things…

This issue isn’t about price. Its about Verisign’s failure to manage a public trust and ICANN the Entity’s apparent failure to manage a key supplier in the interest of the community they serve.

Registrars aren’t happy with the contract in general. There’s more at stake than price. In fact, if you can point me to a registrar that’s willing to go on the public record and state that they are “generally happy with the agreement” as written I will personally donate $1000 USD to the Tour For Kids charity.