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Minutes 104th Executive Board Meeting

Title:	Minutes 104thExecutive Board Meeting, 10 Dec 2015
Author:	Paul Rendek
Date:	2015/12/10

Attendees:

Dmitry Burkov, Member
Maria Häll, Member
Christian Kaufmann, Secretary
Nigel Titley, Chairman
Remco Van Mook, Treasurer
Salam Yamout, Member
János Zsakó, Member

Hans Petter Holen, RIPE Chairman
Sabine Mader, Assistant to the Managing Director, RIPE NCC
Axel Pawlik, Managing Director, RIPE NCC
Paul Rendek, Director of External Relations, RIPE NCC
Jochem de Ruig, Chief Financial Officer, RIPE NCC

Agenda / Comments

Apologies, New Agenda Points
Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#102 and #103
Date of Next Meetings
- 31 March 2016, 10:00-18:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
- 23 & 25 May 2016, Informal Meetings during RIPE-72, Copenhagen
- 6 July 2016, 10:00-17:00, Executive Board Retreat, Oslo
- 7 July 2016, 13:00-17:00, Executive Board Meeting, Oslo
- 8 September 2016, 09:00-17:30, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
Conference Attendance Executive Board 2016

Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda
Report from the RIPE NCC
1. Financial Update
  1. Treasury Report
2. Legal & Corporate Documents
  1. LEA Requests
3. Services
  1. Update on Resiliency Project
  2. Follow-up on “Working for Good of the Internet”
    1. Update on SEED Alliance
    2. Proposal for Support of Open Source Projects
    3. CrypTech Project
Review RIPE 71 and RIPE NCC General Meeting 18 November 2015
1. Review RIPE meeting and Community Feedback
2. Multiple LIRs per Member
3. Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 18 November 2015
Approval of Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2016
1. Approval of Revised Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan/Budget 2016
Active Policy Proposals with Significant Impact on RIPE NCC Operations
External Relations
1. ICANN / IANA
2. NRO / RIRs
3. RIPE – Rob Blokzijl
4. IETF
AOB
Executive Session

The Chairman opened the meeting at 13:12

1. Agenda / Comments

1.1. Apologies, New Agenda Points

No apologies, all Board members were present. The Board remembered Rob Blokzijl and his outstanding contributions during the Board meetings. Nigel stated that he will be sorely missed and that his legacy will be remembered for years to come.

Nigel asked if there were any new agenda points to bring forward. Nigel proposed that a tribute to Rob Blokzijl be discussed under agenda point 7.3.

Remco proposed that the Board discuss the offer received on the Executive Board mailing list to open an Apple Store in Italy. It was agreed to discuss this under agenda point AOB.

Nigel reported that the RIPE NCC Works Council would meet with the Board during the first coffee break. The Board welcomed the meeting with the RIPE NCC Works Council.

1.2. Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#102 and #103

Nigel asked the Board if they had any final comment for the minutes of EB#102 and 103. No comment was brought forward and the Board approved the minutes of Executive Board Meeting EB#102 and 103.

1.3. Date of Next Meetings

31 March 2016, 10:00-18:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
23 & 25 May 2016, Informal Meetings during RIPE-72, Copenhagen
6 July 2016, 10:00-17:00, Executive Board Retreat, Oslo
7 July 2016, 13:00-17:00, Executive Board Meeting, Oslo
8 September 2016, 09:00-17:30, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam

1.4. Conference Attendance Executive Board 2016

Nigel mentioned that the latest conference schedule was provided and he asked the Board to check the list and make any adjustments by the end of the Board meeting.

2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda

a) Completed

EB329 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The RIPE NCC Board asked Axel to prepare a presentation for the RIPE NCC General Meeting November 2015 summarising the findings of the third party review of the RIPE NCC corporate governance.
Status 10/12/2015: DONE – Was presented by Nigel in his presentation from the Board at the GM November 2015.

EB330 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Axel to publish the set of corporate documents: Updated Due Diligence Document, Inter RIR Transfer Templates, and Updated Arbitration Procedure brought forward for review.
Status 10/12/2015: DONE – Updated documents have been published on the RIPE NCC external website.

EB331 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Axel to produce an updated budget to show the impact of a potential contribution to the IETF Endowment.
Status 10/12/2015: CLOSED

EB332 / 02/10/2015 /AP
The Board asked Axel to contact APNIC and coordinate a joint meeting of APNIC and RIPE NCC board members at the upcoming RIPE Meeting in May 2016.
Status 10/12/2015: DONE – Axel/Sam have contacted Paul Wilson/Connie Chan to make appropriate arrangements

b) In progress

EB326 16/06/2015 AP
The Board asked the RIPE NCC to analyse the current and expected customer base to see what category of business they belong to. They also asked that the RIPE NCC collect-specific data on any new members that join the RIPE NCC.
Status 02/10/2015: Ongoing. The Board examined the report but stated this was a start but the analysis needed more work. They asked for more comprehensive work to be carried out in order for the RIPE NCC to obtain a better understanding of its membership. The Board asked the RIPE NCC to use an external party in addition to internal resources to investigate the categorisation of members. They agreed that the RIPE NCC could spend up to 5000 EUR to investigate this further. If the activity resulted in a higher expenditure Axel was asked to report this on the Board mailing list.
Status 10/12/2015: ONGOING as explained in the Board Report October 2015. The RIPE NCC will provide an update in March 2016 and will produce a completed report by May 2016.

3. Report from the RIPE NCC

Axel informed the Board that there were no further subjects to report beyond the RIPE NCC update he provided to the Board in preparation for this meeting.

The Board discussed the information provided regarding RIPE NCC KPIs. Jochem suggested that the RIPE NCC review the proposal and produce a digest for the Board to review. The Board agreed this and the status of action item EB328 was updated to reflect the decision.

EB328 / 02/10/2015 / AP
ACTION: The Board asked Axel to use a unified style to report the KPIs. They also asked Axel to produce a doodle poll to identify the ranking of KPIs by each Board member.
Status 10/12/2015: ONGOING – After further review the Board decided to hold off on any input until they receive a proposal that has been reviewed by the RIPE NCC.

Remco made a reference to the figures used to portrait the number of members and LIRs in the report from the RIPE NCC. Remco asked for a clear distinction between the number of members and the number of LIRs for future reports.

Paul provided a short update on External Relations activities. He provided a summary of areas of focus for 2016 in line with planning and developments in the Internet environment. No further questions were raised.

3.1. Financial Update

Jochem provided a brief summary of the financial update that was provided for Board review prior to the Board meeting.

Jochem reminded the Board that the RIPE NCC has engaged new auditors and suggested to set-up a meeting to introduce Remco to the new auditors. The Board agreed with this and asked Jochem to handle the arrangements.

ACTION: The Board asked Jochem to set-up a meeting to introduce Remco to the new auditors.

Jochem mentioned that as the members approved the rebate to return funds to the members a figure would need to be proposed. Jochem stated that the Board needed to agree on the rebate figure. Nigel asked Jochem to suggest a figure for the Board to agree. There was some discussion about the percentage of the surplus that should be retained as a buffer. It was agreed to rebate the estimated surplus and retain 150K to ensure that the rebate offer would not exceed the acceptable limit set by the tax authorities.

3.1.1. Treasury Report

Jochem asked the Board for their opinion on updating the Treasury statutes. As any changes at this point would be very minor the Board agreed not to update the document. After some discussion on the RIPE NCC cash deposits the Board unanimously agreed that they were pleased with status of the deposits.

Resolution EB#104-R-01:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the replenishment of the USD account to cover for annual obligations in USD to an amount of USD 1 million (as in previous years), currently the USD account holds USD 0.61 million.

3.2. Legal & Corporate Documents

Jochem provided a short summary of developments on a current case in arbitration. The case raised discussion about the RIPE NCC tech-c and admin-c contacts in an LIR and what mandate these contacts are assumed to have within an LIR in order to make significant changes to an LIR's resources. The RIPE NCC agreed to look further into this matter.

Jochem reported that the RIPE NCC currently has 3 open court cases in Moscow. The court cases are a result of organisations not understanding the RIR system. The Board had a discussion about how to handle such cases in the future. It was agreed that the RIPE NCC must look at each case as they arise and take appropriate action.

During the discussions it was mentioned that one approach to solving the issue could be to contact some of the large intellectual property holders and inform them about IP address allocation and the Regional Internet Registry system. Jochem stated that this approach would be considered moving forward.

3.2.1. LEA Requests

Jochem was pleased to report that no LEA requests were brought forward to the RIPE NCC.

3.3. Services

3.3.1. Update on Resiliency Project

Axel provided an update on the Resiliency Project and reported that the project is moving forward as planned to cover the external facing services. There was a short discussion on the services included in this portfolio. It was reported that security aspects would be covered first and then outward facing services. No further points were raised. In close, Jochem stated that he would keep the Board informed of progress in this area.

3.3.2. Follow-up on “Working for Good of the Internet”

3.3.2.1. Update on SEED Alliance

EB317 19/03/2015 SY/MH
Salam Yamout and Maria Häll will work on a proposal with SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) regarding the funding for ISIF (Information Society Innovation Fund) projects, as well as further development of the RACI project.
Status 16/06/2015: Ongoing: see proposal for discussion under topic 3.4.3.1
Status 02/10/2015: Ongoing and waiting for RIR coordination.
Status 10/12/2015: CLOSED

EB322 16/06/2015 SY/MH
The Board asked Maria and Salam to approach the Seed Alliance to request for the RACI project.
Status 02/10/2015: Ongoing and waiting for RIR coordination.
Status 10/12/2015: CLOSED

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to move forward in joining the SEED Alliance while keeping the RACI initiative separate from it.

3.3.2.2 Proposal for Support of Open Source Projects

Following a short discussion on support for open source projects Nigel asked Axel and Salam to produce a project framework for the support of Open Source and similar projects.

ACTION: Axel and Salam will work together to provide a project framework for the support of Open Source and similar projects for Board evaluation.

3.3.2.3 CrypTech Project

Nigel asked the Board to discuss the project report provided by the CrypTech project team. After discussion the Board agreed that the report did not provide enough information in order to justify further support from the RIPE NCC. The Board agreed that a more detailed project report outlining resource needs and goals is required to make a decision on future support.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to contact the CrypTech project leaders with a list of requirements expected in order to evaluate future support of the project.

4. Review RIPE 71 and RIPE NCC General Meeting 18 November 2015

There was broad discussion about the General Meeting November 2015. The Board was pleased with the organisation and preparation for the meeting. The general structure of reporting in or around the General Meetings was raised. It was suggested that individual Board members could cover topical subjects either in the GM or in the RIPE NCC Services Working Group. No decisions were taken but Nigel asked that Paul Rendek and Serge Radovcic investigate ways for the Board to cover topical subjects to inform the RIPE community or RIPE NCC membership when necessary.

ACTION: Serge and Paul will propose ways for Board members to present or speak on topical subjects relating to RIPE NCC activities and services.

Based on the IETF endowment discussions that took place at the RIPE 71 RIPE NCC Services Working Group session, the Board agreed to wait for further information from the IETF on details of the planned financial structure before moving ahead on any proposals to make a donation to the fund.

Nigel requested to move the review of RIPE 71 to agenda point 7.3.

4.1. Review RIPE meeting and Community Feedback

It was agreed to move this discussion to agenda point 7.3.

4.1.1. Multiple LIRs per Member

Axel provided information on the number of members with multiple LIRs. There was a general discussion on the decision that the Board made to restrict multiple LIRs per member. Several potential scenarios were discussed on how this situation might possibly be dealt with.

The Board agreed that this is something that they would like the membership to thoroughly discuss before any further decisions or changes to RIPE NCC procedures are made. Nigel expressed that information must be given to the membership in good time for their review in order to make an informed decision at the GM May 2016 meeting.

ACTION: The RIPE NCC to prepare substantive data and possible procedural changes for dealing with multiple LIRs per member to be discussed with the membership in January 2016 in preparation for the GM May 2016 meeting.

4.2. Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 18 November 2015

Nigel asked the Board if they had any comment on the draft minutes. The Board expressed that they were happy with the minutes that were produced for the General Meeting November 2015.

5. Approval of Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2016

The Board discussed the changes in the Activity Plan, which included:

A more accurate description of the workspace for the two Russia-based RIPE NCC employees.
Additional budget for the following Capital Expenditures:

RIS: expansion of route collectors.
RIPE Meetings: set-up improvements for IPv6 network and enhancements of presentation infrastructure.
Relocation Project: cabling set-up & installation fibres, as well as audio/visual and security infrastructure.

Nigel asked the Board if there were any further comments to the Activity Plan. No further comment was brought forward.

5.1. Approval of Revised Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan/Budget 2016

Resolution EB#104-R-02:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2016.

6. Active Policy Proposals with Significant Impact on RIPE NCC Operations

The Board reviewed the current policy proposals and the avenues where the Board could provide appropriate feedback in the process. They were pleased with the support given by RIPE NCC staff in collecting input and drafting text to effectively participate in the impact analysis on policy proposals.

7. External Relations

7.1. ICANN / IANA

Axel reported that the RIRs have begun preliminary negotiations on a contract with ICANN and have already received valuable feedback from IANA. He reported that the current version of the SLA would have to be passed again to the ICANN legal team for review. Axel reported that he was pleased with the developments around the ICANN SLA at this time.

Dmitry provided a short update on developments in ICANN CCWG. No further questions were brought forward.

7.2. NRO / RIRs

Nigel reported that AFRINIC is interested in signing an MoU with RIPE NCC to further enhance their coordination and cooperation with regard to activities in which they share a common interest. It was stated that RIPE NCC already has such an MoU with APNIC.

7.3. RIPE – Rob Blokzijl

Hans-Petter reported that the RIPE 71 meeting was a success and that he was pleased with the feedback and the level of energy at the meeting. General discussion took place on the planned host cities for upcoming RIPE meetings.

In light of the passing of Rob Blokzijl, Nigel suggested that the Board agree on a formal tribute to Rob.

The RIPE NCC Board offers a tribute to the outstanding work of Rob Blokzijl, RIPE Chair Emeritus, and acknowledges his enormous contribution to both RIPE and the RIPE NCC since their inception. The Board would like to praise him for his vision, leadership, and determination. Rob attended over 90 RIPE NCC Board meetings where his advice and counsel was greatly appreciated and will be sorely missed. At this painful time, the Board would like to express its deepest condolences to his family.

7.4. IETF

8. AOB

The Board received a formal request for the RIPE NCC to consider opening an Apple Store in Italy. The Board unanimously agreed that this would be out of scope of RIPE NCC operations and agreed to provide a formal response to the request.

ACTION: Nigel agreed to provide formal feedback to the suggestion that the RIPE NCC open an Apple Store in Italy.

9. Executive Session

Minutes are not taken in the Executive Session. At this time, the Board thanked the RIPE NCC staff and kindly asked them to vacate the meeting room.

The Chairman brought the meeting to a close at: 16:45

Outstanding Action Items:

EB326 16/06/2015 AP
The Board asked the RIPE NCC to analyse the current and expected customer base to see what category of business they belong to. They also asked that the RIPE NCC collect-specific data on any new members that join the RIPE NCC.
Status 02/10/2015: Ongoing. The Board examined the report but stated this was a start but the analysis needed more work. They asked for more comprehensive work to be carried out in order for the RIPE NCC to obtain a better understanding of its membership. The Board asked the RIPE NCC to use an external party in addition to internal resources to investigate the categorisation of members. They agreed that the RIPE NCC could spend up to 5000 EUR to investigate this further. If the activity resulted in a higher expenditure Axel was asked to report this on the
Board mailing list.
Status 10/12/2015: ONGOING as explained in the Board Report October 2015. The RIPE NCC will provide an update in March 2016 and will produce a completed report by May 2016.

New Action Items:

EB333 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Jochem to set-up a meeting to introduce Remco to the new auditors.

EB334 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Axel to move forward in joining the SEED Alliance while keeping the RACI initiative separate from it.

EB335 / 02/10/2015 / AP & SY
Axel and Salam will work together to provide a project framework for the support of Open Source and similar projects for Board evaluation.

EB336 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Axel to contact the CrypTech project leaders with a list of requirements expected in order to evaluate future support of the project.

EB337 / 02/10/2015 / AP
Serge and Paul will propose ways for Board members to present or speak on topical subjects relating to RIPE NCC activities and services.

EB338 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The RIPE NCC to prepare substantive data and possible procedural changes for dealing with multiple LIRs per member to be discussed with the membership in January 2016 in preparation for the May General Meeting.

EB339 / 02/10/2015 / NT
Nigel agreed to provide formal feedback to the suggestion that the RIPE NCC open an Apple Store in Italy.

Resolutions:

Resolution EB#104-R-02:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the Draft RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2016.