Minutes 105th Executive Board Meeting

Attendees:

• Dmitry Burkov, ICANN Liaison
• 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

1. Agenda / Comments
   
   1. Apologies, New Agenda Points
   2. Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#104
   3. Date of Next Meetings
   4. Conference Attendance by Executive Board 2016
2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda
3. Report from the RIPE NCC
   
   1. Financial Update
      
      1. Treasury Review March 2016
   2. KPIs
   3. Legal
      
      1. LEA Requests
      2. Arbitration
      3. Legal Analysis of Incorrect Convocation of RIPE NCC General Meeting
   4. Services
      
      1. Service Enhancements
         
         • Discussion
         1. RIPE NCC Statistics Initiative (Paul)
         2. RPKI Validator (Andrew)
         3. Geolocation (Kaveh)
      2. Fortifying Resource Transfer Procedure
   5. Working for the Good of the Internet
   6. Active Policy Proposals with Significant Impact on RIPE NCC Operations
   7. Member Survey 2016 Progress Report
      
      1. Report on RIPE NCC Consultation Interviews 2015/2016
4. Approval of Annual and Financial Reports (1500-1545)
   
   1. Review Auditors' Management Letter 2015
   2. Draft RIPE NCC Financial Report 2015
5. Draft Charging Scheme 2017 (1545-1615)
6. RIPE NCC General Meeting May 2016 (1615-1630)
   
   1. Draft Agenda RIPE NCC General Meeting
   2. Multiple LIRs per Member
   3. Candidates for Executive Board Seats
7. External Relations
   
   1. ICANN / IANA
   2. NRO / RIRs
   3. RIPE
   4. IETF
8. AOB

The Chairman Nigel Titley opened the meeting at 13:15

1. Agenda / Comments

1.1. Apologies, New Agenda Points

No apologies, all Board members were present. Nigel asked if there were any new agenda points to bring forward.

It was agreed that action item additions, listed below (points 1-3), would be addressed under agenda point 8. AOB.

1. Email from Alexander Isavnin to Executive Board list - regional outreach

2. Executive Board Retreat July 2016 - preparations

3. Mirroring the RIPE DB

4. Remco raised a point about the substantial quantity of information that is supplied to the Board for Executive Board meeting preparations. He stated that the agenda and structure as well as supporting documentation must be reviewed. He believes the Board would be better served by a concise document that touches specifically on the agenda points. The Board agreed.

ACTION: The Board asked the RIPE NCC to revisit the structure and substantial quantity of material generated for the preparation of an Executive Board Meeting.

5. Nigel raised the CrypTech Project and IPJ funding for 2016. It was agreed to cover these under agenda 3.5. Working for the Good of the Internet.

1.2. Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#104

Nigel asked the Board if they had any further comment to the minutes of EB#104. No comment was brought forward and the Board approved the minutes of Executive Board Meeting EB#104.

1.3. Date of Next Meetings

• 23 & 25 May 2016, Informal Meetings during RIPE-72, Copenhagen
• 6 July 2016, 10:00-17:00, Executive Board Retreat, Oslo
• 7 July 2016, 09:00-13:00, Executive Board Meeting, Oslo
• 8 September 2016, 09:00-17:30, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
• 15 December 2016, 13:00-17:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
• 14 or 16 March 2017, 09:00-17:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam, TBC

1.4. Conference Attendance by Executive Board 2016

Axel asked the Board to review the list of conferences and note their participation at upcoming events. He noted that Sabine would collect and collate the input received.

2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda

a) Completed

EB333 / 02/10/2015 / AP
The Board asked Jochem to set-up a meeting to introduce Remco to the new auditors.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

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.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

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.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

(was: 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 1million (as in previous years), currently the USD account holds USD 0.61million.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

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.

Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing - Andrew gave a presentation on progress to date during the EB Briefing session. The Board awaits a completion of the initial project, and continuation with data acquisition and integration.

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.
Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing - Axel provided an update of possibilities. It was agreed to keep the current format of the GM meeting presentations but that speaking opportunities can be secured in the RIPE Mtg. program. The Board awaits a response from Paul and Serge.

EB339 / 02/10/2015 / NT
Nigel agreed to provide formal feedback to the suggestion on the Board mailing list that the RIPE NCC open an Apple Store in Italy.
Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing – Nigel reported that he will draft a formal response to the email received by the Executive Board to open an Apple Store in Italy.

3. Report from the RIPE NCC

Axel referred to the report from the RIPE NCC that was published for review prior to the meeting. No further questions were raised.

3.1. Financial Update

Jochem provided a short status update and asked the Board if they had any further questions about the financial status. No questions were raised.

3.1.1. Treasury Review March 2016

Jochem referenced the ‘RIPE NCC Treasury Report – March 2016' and stated that the split over investment categories is currently at a desired level. There was brief discussion about this division of funds in the various investment classes. Remco and Janos reconfirmed the risk minimisation strategy and terms outlined in the Treasury Statute.

No further questions were raised.

3.2. KPIs

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.

Status 31/03/2016: DONE
Jochem delivered a presentation of the draft KPI report. He stated that there are a number of indicators used to compile the report comprised of member indicators, registration services workload, RIPE Atlas development, GM indicators, Meeting indicators, Training indicators, and FTEs per member.

After some discussion on the value of various categories the Board asked for the following categories in addition to the material compiled by RIPE NCC management:

• Gross and net membership growth
• Atlas probes distributed and connected as well as monthly logins
• Number of meetings in each category of RIPE NCC organised meetings
• Number of unique participants per meeting
• Number of actual courses provided in trainings delivered

In addition, the Board requested that all services be put in a line with their corresponding satisfaction levels.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to include the requested additions to the report on KPIs. The Board requested Axel to publish the KPI report on a quarterly basis for Board review.

3.3. Legal

3.3.1. LEA Requests

Jochem reported that eight information requests by law-enforcement were received in 2015, none of which were accompanied by a Dutch court order. He added that no formal requests were submitted by LEA agencies to date in 2016. Jochem did report that the RIPE NCC had a meeting with EC3 (Europol) this year to continue engagement with law enforcement. He mentioned that relations remained positive between both parties and that dialogue and training to clarify any RIPE policies and RIPE NCC procedures continues.

ACTION: The RIPE NCC was asked to publish the 2015 LEA transparency report.

Paul informed the Board that the RIRs have been asked to explain the IPWHOIS database in the Public Safety Working Group (PSWG) inside the ICANN GAC. He explained that a main focus was on explaining the IPWHOIS and the difference between this database and DNS WHOIS. He further reported that the PSWG would be seeking information in future on the quality and accuracy of the data in the IPWHOIS database.

ACTION: The RIPE NCC Board asked Axel to investigate the options to clarify the RIPE Database data quality and responsibility for accuracy.

3.3.2. Arbitration

The Board agreed that while ongoing arbitration cases were certainly of interest to the Board they agreed that the level of detail provided by the RIPE NCC was excessive.

Jochem proposed that a few Board members could join the upcoming Arbitration Panel meeting in Copenhagen so that they are aware of any issues within the Arbitration Panel and within the process. The Board agreed that this was a useful suggestion.

3.3.3. Legal Analysis of Incorrect Convocation of RIPE NCC General Meeting

The Board discussed the issue surrounding the incorrect convocation of the RIPE NCC General Meeting – November 2015. Due to the technical issues the RIPE NCC experienced with the RIPE NCC Membership Announce mailing list from September 2015 to February 2016, they were unable to invite mainly new members to the RIPE NCC General Meeting (GM) in November 2016. The Board unanimously agreed that the RIPE NCC would be open and transparent about the situation and contact the members that did not receive a convocation letter.

During discussions it was noted that even if those members that did not receive the notification were present there would be no impact on the resolution outcomes of the meeting. Nonetheless, the open and transparent nature of the RIPE NCC was seen as crucial in this situation.

The Board agreed to report on the matter at the upcoming General Meeting – May 2016.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to draft and disseminate the communication regarding the incorrect convocation of the RIPE NCC General Meeting – November 2015 to the affected members.

3.4. Services

3.4.1. Service Enhancements

The discussion on agenda points 3.4.1.1 to 3.4.1.3 took place in the EB Briefing session directly before the assembly of the Executive Board Meeting.

3.4.1.1. RIPE NCC Statistics Initiative

The Board unanimously supported deploying resources needed to develop RIPE NCC statistics and analysis that would be useful for RIPE NCC members, the RIPE community and other stakeholders. Paul reported that this activity would be carried out as outlined in the RIPE NCC Statistics Initiative Plan.

3.4.1.2. RPKI Validator

After a review of the current development of RPKI the Board asked the RIPE NCC to engage, both via email and at the upcoming RIPE Meeting, with the RIPE community and RIPE NCC membership to determine support and direction for any future plans to develop the RPKI Validator. They stated that they looked forward to the discussions surrounding this activity.

3.4.1.3. Geolocation

After review, the Board unanimously agreed not to support resource expenditure in the area of geolocation services but encouraged the RIPE NCC to provide a presentation in the RIPE DB WG for community discussion on the general problem statement of geolocation.

3.4.2. Fortifying Resource Transfer Procedure

Two amendments were proposed to fortify the Transfer process and procedure:

• Network acquisitions will not be catered for as a separate procedure – all changes in IP address holdership must fall under either the Mergers and Acquisition procedure or the RIPE Transfer Policy
• A procedural clarification that all agreements relating to transfers must be signed by a company director or other party legally authorised to make such decisions on behalf of the organisation

The Board agreed to adopt both these changes and to communicate this to the RIPE NCC membership and RIPE Community.

If the community disagrees with either of these proposals then the Board encourages them to use the PDP process in the RIPE community.

3.5. Working for the Good of the Internet

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.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

Following general discussion on the “Good of the Internet Process Proposal “ the Board approved the document with changes to the selection procedure of projects in this space.

The Board agreed that the selection of committee members during the RIPE Plenary session was the preferred method. Board members also agreed that a timeline must be clarified in the document.

Seed Alliance

Axel reported he sent a Letter of Intent to the SEED Alliance partners stating that once the process and funding levels at the RIPE NCC were agreed, the RIPE NCC would sign the SEED Alliance MoU. He commented that the contribution for 2017 as well as the set-up of a committee to support the Seed Alliance still needed to be determined.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to join the Seed Alliance after the Board sets a level of funding for 2017 and sets up a committee to support the Seed Alliance.

CrypTech

Jochem provided an update on the detailed information requested by the Executive Board about the CrypTech project. The Board reviewed the financial status and project activities for 2016 as well as longer term planning for 2-3 years.

The Board was pleased with a more detailed report. Nigel asked the Board if they support 50 K EUR expenditure with the understanding of a commitment to report on the objectives outlined in the project plan. The Board unanimously agreed to support the CrypTech project in 2016.

IPJ support

The Board approved funding of the IPJ in 2014 – on the understanding that ISOC would support the publication moving forward. The Board rejects the invoice raised to support the IPJ in 2015. After discussion there was agreement to fund one additional year with a suggestion to find structural funding for the journal in future years.

The Board unanimously agreed to a one-off 50K USD donation to the IPJ for 2016.

ACTION: Nigel to contact Ole Jacobson and report the RIPE NCC position to provide a one-off donation of 50K USD for the IPJ in 2016.

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

The Board discussed the active policy proposals that potentially impact RIPE NCC operations. During discussions Hans-Petter mentioned that he would suggest forming a small task force in the RIPE community to deal with RIPE policy proposal 2015-4 “RIPE Resource Transfer Policy”.

No further questions were raised.

3.7. Member Survey 2016 Progress Report

3.7.1. Report on RIPE NCC Consultation Interviews 2015/2016

The RIPE NCC Consultation Interviews 2015/2016 were reported in the EB Briefings session held prior to the Executive Board Meeting. After discussions the Board stated that they were pleased to see the responses from this valuable initiative. Nigel commented that this input from members and stakeholders would greatly help shape the RIPE NCC Survey.

The Board agreed with Nigel and stated that they looked forward to the launch of the RIPE NCC Survey on 27 May 2016.

4. Approval of Annual and Financial Reports

4.1. Review Auditors' Management Letter 2015

Remco reported on specific items in the Auditors report. Overall he expressed that he was pleased with the extensive report produced. After discussion, the Board agreed that there were no substantial issues raised in the report that needed to be addressed by the Board.

Remco was pleased to add that the RIPE NCC financials were completely in adherence with Dutch regulation and best practices. The Board thanked Remco and the RIPE NCC finance team for their diligent work.

4.2. Draft RIPE NCC Financial Report 2015

Resolution EB#105-R-01

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves to sign the RIPE NCC Financial Report 2015 and present it to the GM for approval.

4.3. Draft RIPE NCC Annual Report 2015

Nigel asked the Board if they had any final comment on the Annual Report. Janos raised minor text adjustments that the RIPE NCC noted and committed to adjust. No further suggestions were brought forward. The RIPE NCC Board unanimously agreed that this report was a solid piece of work, well presented, and thanked the RIPE NCC Staff.

Resolution EB#105-R-02

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves to sign the RIPE NCC Annual Report 2015 and present it to the GM for approval.

5. Draft Charging Scheme 2017

Following discussions in the EB Briefing session the Board agreed with the proposal to continue with the existing Charging Scheme. Nigel asked the Board if they had any further discussion points on the draft RIPE NCC Charging Scheme. No points were brought forward.

Resolution EB#105-R-03

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the draft RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2017 and tasks the Management to prepare this document for the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2016.

6. RIPE NCC General Meeting May 2016

6.1. Draft Agenda RIPE NCC General Meeting

After discussing the draft agenda for the General Meeting May 2016 the Board agreed to add the following resolution to the agenda:

Agenda point 7 - Resolution: The General Meeting approves the ability of RIPE NCC members to create additional LIR accounts.

With the addition and renumbering of the resolutions Nigel asked the Board to approve the Draft Agenda of the GM.

Resolution EB#105-R-04

The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the agenda for the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2016.

6.2. Multiple LIRs per Member

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.
Status 31/03/2016: DONE

The Board reviewed all the suggestions on the mailing list. Many of the suggestions put forward that could have a positive effect were matters for the Policy Development Process (PDP) to consider rather than the RIPE NCC membership.

While there is no single solution that they could implement to resolve matters, the Board will maintain the current suspension of the ability to create additional LIRs and recommend that the members vote to remove the suspension in the GM meeting in May 2016.

6.3. Candidates for Executive Board Seats

The Board reviewed the current number of candidates and concluded that there is one more candidate than the number of seats available in the upcoming elections for the RIPE NCC Executive Board (three candidates to date). The Board agreed to monitor the candidate process moving forward.

7. External Relations

7.1. ICANN / IANA

An ICANN / IANA update was presented in the EB Briefing Session. No further questions were raised.

7.2 NRO / RIRs

No issues were raised.

7.3. RIPE

Hans-Petter reported on preparations for the RIPE 72 Meeting scheduled to take place in May 2016. He informed the Board that the Plenary and RIPE WG sessions were shaping quite nicely. He was pleased to report that the RIPE PC had been working hard to produce a stimulating agenda.

Maria asked whether there would be new Chair candidates coming forward for the COOP-WG. Paul reported that RIPE NCC colleagues have approached many government contacts in the hopes to locate candidates from the government sector to step forward as potential Chairs.

Hans-Petter was happy to report that he is working on a draft procedure document to formalise elections for the RIPE Chair position. He mentioned that this should be ready for publication prior to the upcoming RIPE Meeting and looked forward to feedback from the community on this process.

The Board had no further questions and thanked Hans-Petter for his update.

7.4. IETF

No issued were raised.

8. AOB

1. Email from Alexander Isavnin to Executive Board list - regional outreach

The Executive Board discussed the formal email brought forward surrounding regional outreach activities in Russia and Central Asian countries. A brief review of activities carried out in 2015 and plans for 2016 took place.

ACTION: The Executive Board agreed that Nigel would compile a formal response to Alexander outlining the 2015 activities and plans for 2016 in relation to regional outreach undertakings.

2. Executive Board Retreat July 2016 - preparations

Maria mentioned that she provided a template for high-level discussions suitable for an Executive Board retreat. She sent this template as an example to identify a process that could be followed.

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.

Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing - Andrew gave a presentation during the EB Briefing Session on progress to date. The Board awaits a completed 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.
Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing - Axel provided an update of possibilities. It was agreed to keep the current format of the GM meeting presentations but that speaking opportunities can be secured in the RIPE Mtg. program. The Board awaits a response from Paul and Serge.

EB339 / 02/10/2015 / NT
Nigel agreed to provide formal feedback to the suggestion on the Board mailing list that the RIPE NCC open an Apple Store in Italy.
Status 31/03/2016: Ongoing – Nigel reported that he will draft a formal response to the email received by the Executive Board to open an Apple Store in Italy.

New Action Items:

Action: EB340 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked the RIPE NCC to revisit the structure and substantial quantity of material generated for the preparation of an Executive Board Meeting.

Action: EB341 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to include the requested additions to the report on KPIs. The Board requested Axel to publish the KPI report on a quarterly basis for Board review.

Action: EB342 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The RIPE NCC was asked to publish the 2015 LEA transparency report.

Action: EB343 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The RIPE NCC Board asked Axel to investigate the options to clarify the RIPE Database data quality and responsibility for accuracy.

Action: EB344/ 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to draft and disseminate the communication regarding the incorrect convocation of the RIPE NCC General Meeting – November 2015 to the affected members.

Action: EB345 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to join the Seed Alliance after the Board sets a level of funding for 2017 and sets up a committee to support the Seed Alliance.

Action: EB346 / 31/03/2016 / NT
Nigel to contact Ole Jacobson and report the RIPE NCC position to provide a one-off donation of 50K USD for the IPJ in 2016.

Action: EB347 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Executive Board agreed that Nigel would compile a formal response to Alexander outlining the 2015 activities and plans for 2016 in relation to regional outreach undertakings.

Action: EB348 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Executive Board tasked Axel to contact the external consultant contracted for the Senior Management Team retreat to prepare a proposal and agenda suitable for the Executive Board Retreat. The Board agreed to review the proposal and contribute where necessary to organise the Executive Board Retreat scheduled for July 2016.

Action: EB349 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to contact the Russian authorities and formally offer a solution to mirror the RIPE Database.

Action: EB350 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board instructed the RIPE NCC Management to lock the unreferenced personal data in the RIPE Database and inform the community about this action.

Resolutions:

Resolution EB#105-R-01
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves to sign the RIPE NCC Financial Report 2015 and present it to the GM for approval.

Resolution EB#105-R-02
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves to sign the RIPE NCC Annual Report 2015 and present it to the GM for approval.

Resolution EB#105-R-03
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the draft RIPE NCC Charging Scheme 2017 and tasks the Management to prepare this document for the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2016.

Resolution EB#105-R-04
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the agenda for the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2016.