Hello all,

As you know, the ICANN Budget committee received it's first draft copy of the budget on Monday night. This was my first chance to see the budget ICANN was proposing. There was also conference call to discuss the draft with ICANN staff and the other members of the committee yesterday (Tuesday).

The budget was created by ICANN staff before Rome, and has been in the hands of the ICANN Board's Finance Committee until this point. I am told it has undergone several revisions and cuttings by the ICANN staff and the Board Finance Committee. I believe Mike Palage is a participant on the Board Finance Committee, and from his comments in Rome, I understand he has been working closely with staff to review and refine the budget prior to it's release.

I know many of you are anxious to see the budget details. Some of you may have already seen it as I know ICANN has had discussions with some Registrars directly to gain their input on the new model. While I know the delay for those of you who have not yet seen the budget may be frustrating, I am pleased to report that ICANN should be posting it publicly on their website within the next few days (probably by Monday at the latest).

We will be scheduling a conference call for the constituency shortly after it is posted, so we can answer any of your questions concerning the budget. You should plan to go through the document thoroughly as soon as it is posted, as there are significant changes to the budget, and the way Registrar payments are calculated and collected.

Please also be aware that until the budget is posted publicly, the budget committee can not discuss the draft. I would ask that you refrain from posting/asking your questions/speculations until you have had a chance to read the document when it becomes available.

Rest assured, we will make every effort to answer your questions and address all of your concerns as soon as the budget is public.

Thank you.

Rob Hall

Registrar Rep to the ICANN Budget Committee.