In regards to history ... Network Solutions charged $100 for 2 year term ($50/year), and then that was later reduced to $70 for 2 year term ($35/year) after some litigation.
As for Network Solutions these days - it's not the same company anymore - from what I recall, an investment group owns them; they have no special connections to VeriSign.
Paying $35 or so per year is foolish, and even more so considering the number of domains Network Solutions has reportedly lost due to hacking and glitches.
There are numerous better choices, such as Fabulous. For a complete ICANN accredited list see
http://www.internic.net/
Ron