RE: Board Fees

["Ron Andruff" <randruff@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

RNA Partners, as noted in our public comments on this topic at the Board
Review Committee meeting in Sydney, suggests that the term "remuneration"
should be amended to "board fees" or perhaps, better, "board expense
compensation".  There are clearly different definitions for these terms as
well as implications.  Allowing board members to receive a fixed amount of
money for their office expenses, assistant or secretarial fees, etc. for all
those related costs (board expense compensation) - as well as to provide
some compensation for the enormous amount of time expended on behalf of
ICANN and Internet users at large - is appropriate.   Time spent on
ICANN-related activities is time that cannot be spent on work demanded by a
board member's day job, and for those board members who are small business
owners, this issue has a direct financial impact.

 

It should also be noted that there are also significant tax consequences
associated with "remuneration"; consequences which would be considerably
lessened should the terminology be changed to "board expense compensation".

 

In the interest of full disclosure, we note that RNA Partners may or may not
be involved in applying for a gTLD when that process begins.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Ronald N. Andruff

RNA Partners, Inc.