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Minutes 107th Executive Board Meeting

Title: Minutes 107th RIPE NCC Executive Board Meeting
Date: 2016/07/07

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
1.1 Apologies, New Agenda Points
1.2 Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#105 and EB#106
1.3 Date of Next Meetings
1.4 Conference Attendance by Executive Board 2016/2017
2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda
3. Report from the RIPE NCC
3.1. Financial Update
3.1.1 Treasury Review July 2016
3.1.2 KPIs
3.2 Housing Report
3.3 Legal
3.3.1 LEA Requests
3.3.2 Arbitration
3.3.2.1 Arbiters Meeting during RIPE 72 Copenhagen
3.3.3 Report on Russian Court Cases involving RIPE NCC
3.4 Services
3.4.1 Good of the Internet vs. SEED Alliance
3.5 Active Policy Proposals with Significant Impact on RIPE NCC Operations
3.6 RIPE NCC Survey 2016 Progress Report
4. Legal & Corporate Documents
4.1 Multiple LIRs
4.2 Secondary DNS Terms & Conditions
5. Review RIPE 72 Copenhagen & RIPE NCC General Meeting
5.1 General Meeting May 2016
5.2 Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 25-27 May 2016
6. Direction 2017
6.1 Planned Activities and Budget 2017
6.2 Rob Blokzijl Foundation
7. External Relations
7.1 ICANN / IANA
7.2 NRO / RIRs
7.3 RIPE
7.4 IETF
8. AOB

The Chairman, Nigel Titley, opened the meeting at 9:00am.

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.

Remco raised a point about the substantial quantity and structure of the supporting documents supplied prior to an Executive Board meeting. Nigel asked the discussion to be held under agenda point 2 - Action: EB340.

No further agenda items were brought forward.

1.2 Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#105 and EB#106

Nigel asked the Board if they had any further comment on the minutes of EB#105 and EB#106. No comment was brought forward and the Board approved the minutes of Executive Board Meetings EB#105 and EB#106.

1.3 Date of Next Meetings

8 September 2016, 09:00-17:30, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
15 December 2016, 13:00-18:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
17 March 2017, 09:00-17:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam

1.4 Conference Attendance by Executive Board 2016/2017

Nigel 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

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.
Status 07/07/2016: DONE

b) In progress

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.
Status 07/07/2016: IN PROGRESS

Axel reported on the progress of this action item by providing a presentation and the action plan moving forward. Axel will update the Board as developments progress.

Paul reported on the progress regarding a mirror of the RIPE Database in Russia stating that the RIPE NCC was in discussions with the Russian Ministry of Telecommunications. He reported that the work was in progress to ensure that a RIPE NCC NRTM contract could be signed according to the contract specifications.

Action: EB340 / 31/03/2016 / AP
The Board asked the RIPE NCC to revisit the structure and quantity of material generated for the preparation of an Executive Board Meeting.
Status 07/07/2016: IN PROGRESS

The Board asked for increased structure and integration of summaries of supporting documentation into the board meeting agenda. Further, the Board encouraged the inclusion of strategic issues and to focus less on operational details.

3. Report from the RIPE NCC

Axel referenced his monthly report he sent to the Board prior to the meeting. No further questions were raised.

The Board discussed general topics from the report but focused on ICANN, the Internet Governance landscape and Internet of Things (IoT).

Paul provided a short summary of the resources needed to cover ICANN CCWG workstream II. He was pleased to report that Athina Fragkouli and Izumi Okutani will represent the Numbers Community and that he would be working closely with them in this space. The Board expressed that accountability, as an organisation, would be a focus of examination by different stakeholder groups as well as government. The Board agreed that resources should be made available to document and defend the accountability of RIPE and the RIPE NCC to its members and community as well as any third parties.

The Board discussed the changing Internet Governance landscape and stated that external relations and outreach needed to be well resourced and focused on the challenges ahead. The Board asked Axel to ensure resources were budgeted given the need for increased activity in this area.

Remco and Salam asked general questions about RIPE NCC's findings of the developments in the IoT space. Remco expressed that he wanted to see the RIPE NCC taking an active role in the discussions related to and impacting RIPE NCC business.

ACTION EB351 /07/07/2016/AP
Axel to share RIPE NCC's plans in the area of IoT with the Board and keep them informed of relevant developments on this topic.

3.1. Financial Update

3.1.1 Treasury Review July 2016

Jochem provided a short update on the status of the government bonds.

Resolution EB#107-R-01:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved the purchase of two additional government bonds of approximately one million EUR each in accordance with the Treasury Statute.

3.1.2 KPIs

The Board was pleased with the improved set up of the KPI report.

After evaluation and discussion, the Board asked Axel to identify how many individuals participate in the different meetings organised by the RIPE NCC. They also asked for a figure of how many RIPE NCC members contribute to the policy development process. This information would be useful to support and illustrate RIPE and RIPE NCC accountability.

It remains important that the relevance of the RIPE Community is clear to all members and that their participation in the RIPE Community processes is strongly encouraged.

ACTION EB352 /07/07/2016/AP:
The Board asked Axel to identify the number of individuals that participate in the various RIPE NCC organised events as well as in the policy development process.

3.2 Housing Report

Jochem asked if the Board had any further questions about the housing report provided. The Board asked if the RIPE NCC would be able to move into the new premises as scheduled. Jochem explained that a few months of contingency had been worked into the plans in the event that the office space would not be complete in the scheduled timeframe.

No further questions were raised.

3.3 Legal

3.3.1 LEA Requests

No new requests were reported to the Board.

3.3.2 Arbitration

3.3.2.1 Arbiters Meeting during RIPE 72 Copenhagen

Jochem reported that the RIPE NCC Arbiters meeting took place on 23 May 2016 adjacent to the RIPE Meeting in Copenhagen. He stated that the Arbiters appreciated the presence of Nigel and Maria at this meeting. Maria and Nigel reported that it was a fruitful meeting as several arbiters shared their experiences with the arbitration procedure and processes.

Nigel reported that there would be changes to the Arbitration procedures and that these changes would need to be approved by the members.

No further questions were raised.

3.3.3 Report on Russian Court Cases involving RIPE NCC

The Board discussed the report of Russian court cases involving the RIPE NCC. It was reported that since September 2015 the RIPE NCC has been involved in seven Russian court cases as a defendant.

After some discussion the Board agreed that a change of lawyers that deal with Russian cases was needed and instructed the RIPE NCC to seek new lawyers for any matters moving forward.

There was some discussion about steps that could be taken to inform the Russian courts of RIPE NCC's position in Internet administration and provide some factual information that could remove any misunderstandings. Paul reported that he was working with the Russian Regulatory authority to produce material that would aid the Russian courts in understanding the RIR system.

The Board agreed that working together with the regulator to produce a document that could be sent to the Russian courts was a good step forward.

No further questions were raised.

3.4 Services

3.4.1 Good of the Internet vs. SEED Alliance

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.
Status 07/07/2016: IN PROGRESS: Axel provided a short description of the SEED Alliance and the status on joining this alliance. He also reported on the proposed structure of the budget line 'Good of the Internet'. The 'Good of the Internet' encompasses the SEED Alliance, the Rob Blokzijl Foundation, Sustainability of the IETF contribution and specific projects selected for funding.

Salam reported that there is a procedure for vetting proposals brought forward for funding. She agreed to share the document with the Board.

ACTION EB353 /07/07/2016/ AP:
Salam was asked to share the document outlining the structure and mechanisms to support the 'Good of the Internet' activity.

No further questions were raised.

3.5 Active Policy Proposals with Significant Impact on RIPE NCC Operations

A brief discussion took place on the active policy proposals in RIPE. No significant issues that could impact the RIPE NCC were raised. The Board thanked Marco Schmidt for the concise report.

3.6 RIPE NCC Survey 2016 Progress Report

Paul provided an update on the outcome of the RIPE NCC Survey 2016. He was pleased to report that the RIPE NCC had received 4,344 responses and that OII was currently preparing the data to ensure anonymity prior to delivering the results to the RIPE NCC. He also mentioned that the RIPE NCC management team would provide a matrix of the issues the RIPE NCC could focus on and that this would be presented to the Board.

The Board expressed that they were pleased to hear that the RIPE NCC had received its largest response rate ever to a published survey and look forward to the publication of the results.

ACTION EB354 /07/07/2016/AP:
The RIPE NCC Board asked the RIPE NCC management to prepare a summary of findings and a matrix of issues that the RIPE NCC could focus on resulting from the RIPE NCC survey 2016.

4. Legal & Corporate Documents

4.1 Multiple LIRs

Nigel asked the Board if they had any comment on the revised set of corporate documents prepared by the RIPE NCC in light of membership vote on the issue of Multiple LIRs. No further comment was put forward.

Resolution EB#107-R-02:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved the updated corporate documents RIPE NCC LIR Account Agreement, the Transfer Procedure, Due Diligence and Contractual Relationship Changes between End User and Sponsoring LIR.

4.2 Secondary DNS Terms & Conditions

Following some discussion, Nigel and Remco believed a section that would allow an override on eligible subscribers for RIPE NCC Secondary DNS service should be clearly stated in the Terms & Conditions document. The Board asked Axel to add this text as section 4.3 of the Secondary DNS Terms & Conditions. It was clarified that the RIPE NCC Executive Board has the final decision to stop the service.

Resolution EB#107-R-03:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved the new corporate document 'Secondary DNS Terms & Conditions with the addition of section 4.3 to allow an override and editorial changes that were provided by the Board.

5. Review RIPE 72 Copenhagen & RIPE NCC General Meeting

5.1 General Meeting May 2016

The Board briefly discussed the RIPE NCC General Meeting and agreed that time and consideration should be given to the members when issues are raised. They also agreed that in spite of a well-prepared meeting more consideration should be given in the future to individual issues that members raise.

5.2 Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 25-27 May 2016

The Board were pleased with the concise minutes of the General Meeting May 2016 and instructed the RIPE NCC to publish the minutes according to procedures.

6. Direction 2017 (1115-1230)

6.1 Planned Activities and Budget 2017

Axel provided a short verbal update on planned activities for 2017. During the update the Board focused discussions on the changing landscape of the RIPE NCC membership, the Internet governance environment, the need to analyse data held by the RIPE NCC, increased automation of the registry function and the structure of the RIPE NCC organisation to meet the needs in this period of evolution.

The Board expressed that the RIPE NCC must be able to adapt quickly to an evolving Internet ecosystem and this would require the structure of the organisation to be ready to deliver expected services and engage with all relevant stakeholders moving forward, with a particular focus on governments and inter-governmental organisations.

The Board agreed that an increase in outreach and engagement was necessary to position RIPE NCC accordingly. They stated that more formal relations with governments should be addressed given the increased activity of legislation and regulation on a national level that could potentially impact RIPE NCC business.

Dmitry suggested that increased attention would be given to high-level Internet-related security issues.The Board agreed and asked Axel to review the structure of the organisation with regard to the changing environment.

Action EB355 /07/07/2016/ AP:
RIPE NCC to increase resources for engagement and outreach and place additional focus on high-level Internet-related security issues.

Action EB356 / 07/07/2016/AP:
The Board asked Axel to produce a document that identifies the working relationship RIPE NCC has with ISOC and areas of opportunity relating to our Platinum sponsorship.

Resolution EB#107-R-04:
The Board agreed to allocate half a million Euro for the 'Good of the Internet' activity. The 'Good of the Internet' encompasses the SEED Alliance, the Rob Blokzijl Foundation, Sustainability of the IETF contribution and specific projects selected for funding.

6.2 Rob Blokzijl Foundation

Axel provided a description of the Rob Blokzijl Foundation. The Board discussed the structure of the foundation. The Board agreed on a change to the text in Section 4 of the document relating to the selection of an award committee. They proposed to change the first sentence of this section to:

'The award committee will be independent from the Board and appointed by the RIPE community by a method of its choice'.

Following these discussions, the Board supported the contribution structure for this foundation. Further, the Board supported a one-off contribution of 25,000 EUR for the Rob Blokzijl Foundation. This contribution would be included in the 'Good of the Internet' allocation of resources.

ACTION EB357 /07/07/2016 AP:
The Board asked Axel to incorporate changes identified by the Board in the proposal for the Rob Blokzijl Foundation and asked that these changes be made and sent by email for final approval.

7. External Relations

7.1 ICANN / IANA

Axel provided a short update on the IANA Transition process. The Board was pleased with the work the RIPE NCC continues to produce to meet the deadlines of the process.

7.2 NRO / RIRs

No issues were put forward.

7.3 RIPE

Hans Petter thanked the RIPE NCC staff for an excellent meeting in Copenhagen. He was pleased with the turnout, quality of the agenda and the energy in the RIPE community.

He reported that he had a review of the last meeting with the PC Chair to see if any changes were needed in the format of the meeting. As a result, there are small adjustments being made to the upcoming agenda and these would be communicated to the RIPE community.

Hans Petter mentioned that in light of all the activity in the larger IT space he was working with External Relations and the RIPE Program Committee to have a focused session on IoT at the upcoming RIPE Meeting in Madrid.

Hans Petter asked for clarification that if a Board member-initiated meeting appears on the RIPE Meeting agenda that these meetings are open by nature. After a short discussion, the Board came to the conclusion that Board member-initiated meetings listed publicly in the RIPE agenda were open meetings.

Hans Petter reminded the Board about the RIPE Chair selection process. He stated that some changes to the initial proposal have been brought forward after engagement during the RIPE Working Group Chairs meeting in Copenhagen. He expressed that this issue was a high priority for him and he looked forward to working with the RIPE community to find the favourable outcome.

7.4 IETF

Resolution EB#107-R-05:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board hereby states its intent to make an annual financial contribution of EUR 100,000 over the next ten years (2017-2026) for the Sustainability of the Internet Engineering Task Force. This contribution would be included in the 'Good of the Internet' budget line.

8. AOB

Axel provided a short presentation on work planned to examine the quality of data in the RIPE Database. Paul reported that external parties were increasingly interested in the quality of data in the RIPE Database and that this would be a point where the RIPE NCC and RIPE community would be questioned on the accountability of this data.

Axel showed a demo of the RIPE NCC membership demographics dashboard. The Board agreed that understanding the RIPE NCC membership in greater detail and examining the RIPE NCC Survey results will provide a good foundation for serving the RIPE NCC membership needs.

The Chairman thanked the RIPE NCC and the Board members and closed the meeting at 12:50.

Outstanding Action Items:

Axel reported on the progress of this action item by providing a presentation and the action plan moving forward. Axel will update the Board as developments progress.

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.
Status 07/07/2016: IN PROGRESS: contacting is done, negotiations are ongoing. Paul reported on the progress regarding a mirror of the RIPE Database in Russia stating that the RIPE NCC was in discussions with the Russian Ministry of Telecommunications. He reported that the work was in progress to ensure that a RIPE NCC NRTM contract could be signed according to the contract specifications.

The Board asked for a new structure of the agenda and related support material. This structure should contain sections on strategy and less focus on operational details.

The Board asked for increased structure and integration of summaries of supporting documentation into the board meeting agenda.

New Action Items:

Action: EB 351/ 07/07/2016 / AP
Axel to share RIPE NCC's plans in the area of IoT with the Board and keep them informed of relevant developments on this topic.

Action: EB352 /07/07/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to identify the number of individuals that participate in the various RIPE NCC-organised events as well as in the Policy Development Process.

Action: EB 353/ 07/07/2016 / AP
Salam was asked to share the document outlining the structure and mechanisms to support the 'Good of the Internet' activity.

Action: EB354 / 07/07/2016 / AP
The RIPE NCC Board asked the RIPE NCC management to prepare a summary of findings and a matrix of issues that the RIPE NCC could focus on resulting from the RIPE NCC Survey 2016.

Action: EB355/ 07/07/2016 / AP
RIPE NCC to increase resources for engagement and outreach and place additional focus on high-level Internet-related security issues.

Action: EB356/ 07/07/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to produce a document that identifies the working relationship RIPE NCC has with ISOC and areas of opportunity relating to our Platinum sponsorship.

Action: EB357 / 07/07/2016 / AP
The Board asked Axel to incorporate changes identified by the Board in the proposal for the Rob Blokzijl Foundation and asked that these changes be made and sent by email for final approval.

Resolutions:

Resolution EB#107-R-01:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved the purchase of two additional government bonds of approximately one million EUR each in accordance with the Treasury Statute.

Resolution EB#107-R-03:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approved the new corporate document Secondary DNS Terms & Conditions with the addition of section 4.3 to allow an override and editorial changes that were provided by the Board.

Resolution EB#107-R-04:
The Board agreed to allocate half a million EUR for the 'Good of the Internet' activity. The 'Good of the Internet' encompasses the SEED Alliance, the Rob Blokzijl Foundation, Sustainability of the IETF contribution and specific projects selected for funding.