RIPE NCC Association: Roles and Responsibilities

Introduction:

The RIPE Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC) is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation that supports a membership base consisting mainly of Internet Service Providers (ISPs), telecommunication organisations and large corporations.

The mission of the RIPE NCC is to perform activities for the benefit of the membership, primarily activities that the members need to organise as a group, although they may compete with each other in other areas. While an activity may result in services being provided to an individual member, performing the activity must benefit the RIPE NCC membership as a group.

In all of its activities, the RIPE NCC observes strict neutrality and impartiality in regard to individual members. Membership of the RIPE NCC is open to all. The activities and services of the RIPE NCC are defined, performed, discussed and evaluated in an open manner. The RIPE NCC, operating as a membership organisation on behalf of its members, does not compete with its members’ business activities.

The purpose of this document is to explain how the activities and services are formulated, and the various roles and responsibilities of the following groups who, together, make up the RIPE NCC and its setting.

• RIPE NCC Executive Board
• RIPE NCC Management
• RIPE NCC Members
• RIPE NCC Industry Partners and Stakeholders
• RIPE Community
• RIPE Working Group Chairs

RIPE NCC Executive Board:

The Executive Board is responsible for appointing the management of the RIPE NCC, for the overall financial situation of the RIPE NCC and for keeping records that allow the current financial situation to be evaluated. The Executive Board are responsible for submitting, for the RIPE NCC Members approval, an annual report on the course of business of the association in the previous financial year. This includes the balance sheet and the statement of income and expenditure with notes and a certificate in respect of the correctness of the documents from an auditor. The Executive Board retains annual reports, financial records and accompanying certificates of correctness for ten years. The Executive Board is also in charge of the RIPE NCC Clearing House Procedure, and has the power to amend this procedure if necessary.

The Executive Board is responsible for sending the convocation for a General Meeting, including the agenda containing the subjects for the General Meeting and the verbatim text of the proposed resolutions, to the RIPE NCC members at least four weeks before the meeting. The Executive Board proposes a Charging Scheme for the members to approve at the General Meeting. This means that the income provided by the members, in the form of annual service fees, is determined by the members who vote on whether to approve the Charging Scheme at the General Meeting. If the Charging Scheme is approved by the members at the General Meeting it is used to define the annual service fees charged to individual members in the following year.

In advance of the General Meeting, the Executive Board presents draft documents giving an outline of the prospective RIPE NCC budget and activity plan and incorporates members’ input into the final version of these documents. The Executive Board, as stated in the RIPE NCC Articles of Association, is responsible for approving (and, if necessary, amending) the RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget. In addition, the Executive Board is responsible for keeping a record of the resolutions made at a General Meeting.

The Executive Board is also required to keep minutes of the proceedings at the Executive Board meetings and make these available to members.

More information about the RIPE NCC Executive Board, including a list of Board members, is available at:

http://www.ripe.net/info/ncc/board/index.html

RIPE NCC Management:

The RIPE NCC Management is responsible for all operational decisions. The RIPE NCC Management is also responsible for ensuring the consistent application of policies developed by the RIPE community within its service region.

In addition, the RIPE NCC Management encourages feedback on the activities and services of the RIPE NCC. This input can be provided in a range of different ways, including via:

• publicly archived, open mailing lists;
• discussions at open RIPE Meetings (held at least twice a year) and other meetings organised by the RIPE NCC;
• direct contact with the RIPE NCC Management.

The RIPE NCC Management routinely reports to the RIPE NCC Executive Board and, together with the RIPE NCC Executive Board, prepares documents for the General Meeting incorporating comments and feedback from the RIPE NCC Members and the RIPE community.

RIPE NCC Members:

As a membership association, the overall responsibility of the activities and services performed by the RIPE NCC belongs to RIPE NCC Members. The RIPE NCC Members delegate this responsibility to the RIPE NCC Executive Board, which is made up of individuals elected by RIPE NCC Members during RIPE NCC General Meetings.

The RIPE NCC Members are encouraged to provide input on the RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget. This discussion can take place at any time, but is usually focused around a RIPE NCC General Meeting, which all members are free to attend. RIPE NCC Members are also able to give general input on any of the activities and services of the RIPE NCC through participation on public mailing lists, at open RIPE Meetings or by direct contact with the RIPE NCC Management or Executive Board.

A RIPE NCC Member, using the channels described above, can make suggestions about whether an activity is started, modified or terminated. These suggestions can then be turned into working plans, which the RIPE NCC Management formulates with the RIPE NCC Executive Board in the outline of the RIPE NCC Draft Activity Plan that is presented to members at a RIPE NCC General Meeting. This draft Activity Plan, along with the associated budget, is presented for comments at the General Meeting. If the comments are favourable to the activities outlined in the document, and the RIPE NCC Members approve the Charging Scheme needed to generate the income needed to perform such activities, then the suggestions, originally provided by a member as described above, may be incorporated into the RIPE NCC Activity Plan to be approved by the RIPE NCC Executive Board.

The RIPE NCC Members are responsible for approving the Charging Scheme of the RIPE NCC, which is used to calculate the annual service fees for each member. The RIPE NCC Members vote on whether to approve the Charging Scheme for the following year at the RIPE NCC General Meeting. This means that the members hold the responsibility for determining the income that the members will provide to the RIPE NCC in the form of annual service fees. Each member is responsible for paying their annual service fee in order to continue their membership of the RIPE NCC.

RIPE NCC Industry Partners and Stakeholders:

The RIPE NCC actively participates in the coordination and cooperation between a range of industry partners and stakeholders, representing both public and private sectors, that is fundamental to the stable and secure operation of the Internet.

The RIPE NCC is one of a number of the key organisations that are, among other industry partners and stakeholders, responsible for both day-to-day management and facilitating policy development in the Internet sphere.

Together with these industry partners and stakeholders, the RIPE NCC represents the evolving needs of the global Internet community through an open, neutral, bottom-up, collaborative and inclusive multi-stakeholder framework.

This framework enables industry partners, stakeholders and the RIPE NCC to participate in the inclusive and established processes that have fostered the Internet’s success and growth.

These processes include open, public meetings, mailing lists and bottom-up policy development processes that enable direct participation by any interested party. The RIPE NCC does not develop policies, but participates in the framework that ensures policies are defined by those who require them for their operations. This gives the system the flexibility to respond and adapt to the changing needs of the Internet community.

RIPE Community:

The RIPE community is responsible for developing consensus-based policies regarding IP administration through open mailing lists and at public meetings. The RIPE community also provides input for the RIPE NCC. This allows anyone in the RIPE community to make suggestions about whether an activity is started, modified or terminated. These suggestions can then be turned into working plans, which the RIPE NCC Management formalises with the RIPE NCC Executive Board in the outline of the RIPE NCC Draft Activity Plan that is presented to members at a RIPE NCC General Meeting. This draft Activity Plan, along with the associated budget, is presented for comments at the General Meeting. If the comments are favourable to the activities outlined in the document, and the RIPE NCC members approve the Charging Scheme needed to generate the income needed to perform such activities, then the suggestions, originally provided by the RIPE community as described above, may be incorporated into the RIPE NCC Activity Plan to be approved by the RIPE NCC Executive Board.

RIPE Working Group Chairs

RIPE Working Group Chairs are responsible for determining whether consensus has been achieved for a policy proposal following the RIPE Policy Development Process. When the Working Group Chairs announce consensus have been reached, the policy becomes active and the RIPE NCC Management become responsible for ensuring the consistent application of this policy throughout the RIPE NCC service region. Depending on the nature of a new policy, it might affect the activities performed by the RIPE NCC and may require the RIPE NCC Executive Board to amend the RIPE NCC Activity Plan.