Ask HN: We have free SSL certs now. Isn't it time we got free domain names?

Is it possible? What's the actual cost of maintaining a TLD registry? Can it be funded like LetsEncrypt?

(Ignoring blockchain-based name registries as they aren't universally supported, and still cost money.)

3 comments

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The main issue that has to be solved is name squatting.

This indeed seems to be the main issue (which LetsEncrypt didn't need to worry about). Zero cost would necessarily mean that early users will hoard all the valuable names, leading us back to square one.

Human-recognizable names are a scarce commodity. Zero price would create a market distortion.

wmf 7y ago ↗

Unfortunately ICANN has issued lucrative contracts allowing registries to charge ~$8/year/domain or more and it seems like the cost of providing those registries has expanded to consume all that money (like in the old days of Ma Bell). Companies will never give up that money.