Gentlemen:
I quote to you the following from a recent online news article:
>749 and a companion bill, S. 705 sponsored by Sen. John
>Ashcroft, R-Mo. - would revoke some of the fees that ICANN
>charges domain name holders.
As one who had early on proposed providing a $1 fee to ICANN
for each domain name registration -- at a time when ICANN was
operating on a shoe string and surviving only afterwards by an
influx of money from some big industry players -- I do so for the
purpose of expressing my opposition to that legislation. One
reason for such a fee is to provide a "thinned out" source of
income so that ICANN could pay its bills without risk of it
being "captured" by the big money, trademark holding, and
monopolistic interests in the Internet world. It would not be
a "tax," as the no-tax extremists would have it, but rather a
user fee whereby those who use the internet pay for it.
In a recent court decision, it was held that fees charged for
acquiring handicapped vehicle license stickers were not a
fee but a tax, but the reasons for that decision were (a) those
needing handicapped licenses were not in that condition by
their own choice; and (b) in any event, there was a specific
statutory prohibition against imposing such fees. Those like
myself who elect to acquire domain names on the internet
do so by choice, as by choice we may also decide to visit
Yellowstone National Park and pay a user fee there as well.
There is nothing "tax-like" at all about a similar user fee in
acquiring a domain name registration, and I hope that you
will make it known -- amidst all the "Boston Tea Party"
blather that has already hit the internet and that you will
no doubt hear in Congress -- that not everyone who enjoys
the fruits of the internet is quite that rabid.
Thank you for your consideration.
William S. Lovell
17630 S. W. Butternut Dr.
Aloha, OR 97007-3929
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
