The Department of Justice in a letter sent on August 31stto Senator Cruz and his colleagues in response to their August 12th letter inquiring on antitrust and Verisign after the transition and .Com RA extension makes clear that NTIA, in consultation with DOJ, retains full authority to extend the Cooperative Agreement and the .Com price freeze through 2024.
“We note that the current extension proposal contemplated by ICANN and Verisign does not change the price cap contained in the 2012 .com Registry Agreement, which will remain in effect through November 30, 2018. Nor does the current extension proposal alter the price cap in Amendment 32 of the Cooperative Agreement.
Moreover, if NTIA were to approve an extension of the .com Registry Agreement, it would have the right in its sole discretion to extend the term of the Cooperative Agreement with the current price cap in place until 2024 at any time prior to November 30, 2018, the date on which the Cooperative Agreement is currently scheduled to expire.
If this occurs, the $7.85 fee cap would be extended another six years to 2024.”
