RE: [registrars] Budget Committee Nominations

["Bhavin Turakhia" <bhavin.t@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

> Bhavin Turakhia, Directi. Bhavin is outspoken on a lot of 
> issues but never gets the chance to step up to the plate in an 
> official capacity. 

Sorry for the late response. Here are my two bits (or mebbe a lil more
...)

Ross & Paul Westley & Robert Conelly: Thanks for nominating me and
seconding the same. I am honoured that you consider me worthwhile for
this post. Indeed I always remain vociferous and outspoken about any
issue in a fair and unbiased manner which concerns all Registrars in
general

First off, I just checked and as of date we are not paid members of the
constituency. I do not know if that allows me to accept the nomination
for this post. Nevertheless here is my pitch -

========
MY PITCH
========
I would be honoured to represent the consitutency in the budget drafting
process for ICANN. While I have been a strong supporter of ICANN always,
I also have been of belief that the budget needs some creative tweaking.
The current structure of the budget imposes significant burden on the
Registrars v/s the Registries. Don't get me wrong, I luv Registries ;).
However historically it has been seen that Registrar margins have been
decreasing. The jump from $35 to $5 (in some promotional campaigns) has
occurred in less than 3 years. To a large extent for Registrars due to
the cut-throat competition margins continue to drive down. These days
each New Registrar Entrant pushes the price down by a further 10 cents,
infact selling at a loss, just to gain market share. On the other hand,
Registries however have a monopoly over a corresponding TLD and
therefore make their $5.3 - $6 irrespective. They have a fixed margin
since there is no competition. It is imperative therefore to restructure
the ICANN budgets to ensure that Registrars have some relief with
regards to their purchase costs, at the same time ensuring smaller
Registries do not face an issue in managing their show.

In the past I have contributed to numerous causes, in many ways,
externally, by voicing out genuine and logical concerns, and pushing
forward suggestions and ideas. I welcome this opportunity to now steer
that role from the inside with regards to the budget committee

===================================
ABOUT ME - Statement and Disclosure
===================================
I have been personally involved in the Web-Services and Domain Names
industry since over 6 years now. I am the Chariman and CEO of Directi
(http://www.directi.com), an ICANN Accredited Registrar and Web Services
Provider

I am also the Chairman and CEO of LogicBoxes (http://www.logicboxes.com)
a separate entity which specialises in providing Automation solutions
and Support Solutions for ICANN Accredited Registrars. LogicBoxes
currently powers Signdomains.com and Directi.com, with several other
Registrars in the pipeline, and consults several other Registrars on
Accreditation, Operations and Support. LogicBoxes also provides
outsourced Support Solutions to various Registrars, offering an
advantage of low-cost 24/7 support by the virtue of its location in
India.

Neither I nor any of my companies have any ownership in any registry. I
participate in the Internet Management Group in India, which is the
steering and policy formation committee for the .IN Registry. I consult
the Ministry of Information Technology in India on various guidelines,
issues and practices with regards to their role in managing the .IN
Registry on several occassions.

I do not have ownership in any other Registrar other than Directi. I do
run several other companies involved in Payment Gateway Solutions,
Hosting Automation Solutions and other associated Web Infrastructure
services.

Best Regards
Bhavin Turakhia
Founder, CEO and Chairman
DirectI
--------------------------------------
http://www.directi.com
Direct Line: +91 (22) 5679 7600
Direct Fax: +91 (22) 5679 7510
Board Line (USA): +1 (415) 240 4172
Board Line (India): +91 (22) 5679 7500
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