In return, it gave ICANN what it wanted: recognition that ICANN had authority over the domain name system.
Internet users attempted to halt that agreement and even filed several lawsuits in an effort to open it up to public scrutiny. Where Verisign at the time charged $6 wholesale per dot-com domain, other companies in the industry said they could run the registry for a third of that price – just $2 a domain.
When the contract was renewed again in 2012, ICANN was planning to give Verisign the exact same deal including the same price-rising rights, but the US government intervened and said the contract should not include any price increases.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/01/verisign_retains_dotcom_cash_cow_until_2024/
More article about the NTIA, ICANN, IANA, etc.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/29/icann_rirs_ip_addresses/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/09/us_government_green_lights_transition_of_internet_to_private_sector/
French don't support it.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/24/france_slams_us_govt_internet_transition/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/05/cruz_slams_dns_overseer_icann_again/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/22/icann_final_transition_plan_from_us_government/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/04/cruz_questions_icann_chinese_censorship_role/
ICANN spent a ton of money on lobbying.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/19/real_icann_lobbying_expenses/
More articles.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/28/ted_cruz_questions_entire_iana_transition/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/22/internet_community_icann_accountability/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/19/congress_tells_icann_quit_escaping_accountability/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/15/iana_sla_for_the_internet/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/09/26/commerce_secretary_pleads_with_icann_meeting/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/11/19/real_icann_lobbying_expenses/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/04/cruz_questions_icann_chinese_censorship_role/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/05/cruz_slams_dns_overseer_icann_again/
ICANN makes ridiculous claims too.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/08/icann_fires_fear_fuzzy_logic_iana_transition/