Has the transfer of the .net registrar to VeriSign gone through, given how ICANN is under VeriSign's thumb:
VeriSign can raise the prices of .net addresses at will starting January 1, 2007. Additionally, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) secured them an automatic extension of the term after six years.
Anyone who still believes that no money changed hands, I'd be happy to sell them a washing machine with a rubber band drive ...