Minutes 150th Executive Board Meeting

15-16 December 2021, virtual


Author:	Daniella Coutinho
Date:	2021/12/21
Status:	Final

Attendees:

Christian Kaufmann (CK), Chairman
Ondřej Filip (OF), Treasurer
Raymond Jetten (RJ), Member
Maria Häll (MH), Member
Remco van Mook (RvM), Member
Job Snijders (JS), Member
Piotr Strzyżewski (PS), Secretary
Mirjam Kühne (MK), RIPE Chair
Daniella Coutinho (DC), Executive Assistant, RIPE NCC (topic 1-15)
Fergal Cunningham (FC), Head of Membership Engagement, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)
Athina Fragkouli (AF), Chief Legal Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)
Simon-Jan Haytink (SJH), Finance Manager, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)
Hans Petter Holen (HPH), Managing Director, RIPE NCC
Hisham Ibrahim (HI), Chief Community Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)
Kaveh Ranjbar (KR), Chief Information Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)
Felipe Victolla Silveira (FVS), Chief Operations Officer, RIPE NCC (topic 3-6)
Carolien Vos (CV), HR Director, RIPE NCC (topic 3-15, except 7)

Guests:

Fallon Albrecht, OR member, RIPE NCC (topic 7)
Petrit Hasani, OR member, RIPE NCC (topic 7)
Alena Muravska, OR member, RIPE NCC (topic 7)
Stephen Suess, OR member, RIPE NCC (topic 7)

Day 1: 15 December 2021

12:30-17:15 (UTC +1)

1. Welcome and agenda

The Chairman opened the meeting at 12:36 and welcomed everyone.

1.1 Apologies, new agenda points

The Chairman noted all members of the RIPE NCC Executive Board (the Board) were present. One additional agenda item regarding sanctions in Russia was added to the agenda under AOB, topic 6.

1.2 Approval of minutes

Resolution EB#150-R-01
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the minutes of EB#149.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

1.3 Dates of next meetings

14-15 March 2022
18-20 May 2022, RIPE NCC General Meeting
30 June-1 July 2022, tbc
14-15 September 2022, tbc
26-28 October 2022, RIPE NCC General Meeting
14-15 December 2022

1.4 Action list review

Action items in progress

Action EBD427 / 23/09/2021 / SJH
To form the group to select a professional party for portfolio management and make a recommendation to the Board on management of the treasury.
Status 29-10-2021: Project group is formed (CK, OF, HPH, SJH). SJH to contact parties and schedule meetings.
Status 15-12-2021: First meetings took place. SJH to work on comparative overview for the next board meeting.

Closed action items

Action EBD429 / 23/09/2021 / FVS
To make a plan to improve the service levels in the Registry.
Status 29-10-2021: Open. To be discussed in December 2021.
Status 15-12-2021: Done. The plan to improve the service levels in the Registry will be discussed at topic 5.2 of EB#150.

Action EBD431 / 29/10/2021 / HPH
To develop a presentation with two scenarios for the Charging Scheme 2023, share with the Board and set up a meeting with OF before RIPE 83.
Status 15-12-2021: Done. Scenarios have been developed and presented to the members at RIPE 83. Further discussion takes place at topic 9.3 of EB#150.

Action EBD432 / 29/10/2021 / FVS
To publish the Quarterly Sanctions Transparency Report.
Status 15-12-2021: Done. The Quarterly Sanctions Transparency Report was published as ripe-768 on 18 November 2021.

2. Report from the MD

Hans Petter Holen explained that a large part of the meeting is dedicated to the results of the RIPE NCC in 2021 in order to give the Board an overview of the achievements. He shared his management report with updates about sanctions and Information Security and the NRO EC meetings. Further he presented a summary of the status of objectives and disruptions in 2021 and results of a pilot survey of the leadership of the RIPE NCC. The Board thanked Hans Petter for his transparent report.

3. HR

Carolien Vos presented the review of 2021 of Human Resources, reflecting on the set goals and achievements and noting the objectives for 2022.

4. Annual Risk Validation

Hans Petter presented the 2021 annual validation of the Integrated Risk Management (IRM) and the risk report of the last quarter. The annual validation showed risk management is maturing since the start in 2019 and high risks are decreasing as a result of mitigations. Hans Petter asked the Board for the risk appetite for 2022.

Resolution EB#150-R-02:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board accepts the existing high-risk items and the relevant mitigation plans as described in the presented Integrated Risk Management report.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

5. Registry COO

5.1 Status Objectives 2021

Felipe Victolla Silveira presented the status report of the objectives of 2021 of the Registry.

5.2 Plan to improve service levels in the Registry

Felipe reported that the number of new LIR applications continues to be very high, contrary to the expectations. However, response times have improved over the last period and are now within our targets.

Felipe laid out improvements to the membership experience, consisting of implementing metrics and Service Level Objectives and publication of quarterly roadmaps. Processes are being streamlined (for instance, smarter rotation schedules and improving closure process by shifting deadlines to an earlier stage). Seasonal peaks will be managed by shifting resources. Sanction checks for members have been fully automated and checks for End Users will be automated in Q2 2022.

5.3 Ticketing system plans

Four years ago, the ticketing system of the RIPE NCC was replaced by Zendesk, an off-the-shelf tool that could not integrate all workflows. In 2019, some members expressed their dissatisfaction about limited integration with the LIR Portal, dealing with long email threads and missing ticket history. The RIPE NCC agreed in 2019 to tackle the issues, but due to other priorities, issues have not been solved. Felipe detailed the project for better integration with the LIR Portal and displaying ticket history. Displaying full ticket history involves risks, as brokers could see sensitive or confidential data. Improvements in the SSO will allow creating specific roles and limit such access. The Board agreed with the plan to deliver the improvements in Q1 2022, and then check with the members if their concerns are mitigated.

Action EBD433 / 15/12/2021 / FVS
To improve integration of tickets in the LIR Portal and display limited ticket history in Q1 2022. After delivery, check with members if this mitigates their concerns.

6. AOB

The Board discussed potential new EU sanctions towards Russia and asked the RIPE NCC to follow the situation closely to be able to continue to serve all members.

7. BOV Meeting with Works Council

The Board had a consultation meeting (bijzondere overlegvergadering, BOV) with Hans Petter and the Works Council (Ondernemingsraad, OR) as agreed in their earlier meeting EB#146, and laid out in the Works Councils Act, article 23.

The following items were addressed:

Introduction of new OR members (four new members since the last meeting)
Topics that have interest of most staff:
- working from abroad
- filling open positions
- organisation structure
- expectations of leadership review

Activity Plan and Budget 2022
- high inflation rate
- financial stability

The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 17:20

Day 2: 16 December 2021

09:00-16:00 (UTC +1)

8. RIPE

RIPE Chair Mirjam Kühne presented on the latest developments in the community.

In the Address Policy Working Group the IPv4 waiting list, possible consolidation of all IPv4-related policies and review of the IPv6 policy are being discussed.

The RIPE Code of Conduct Task Force is discussing the reporting process and the composition of the Code of Conduct team. For 2021 the RIPE Chair team and the community focused on documenting processes and traditions. In 2022 Mirjam would like to look more at content and possibly develop a long-term strategy for RIPE.

For the revision of the Policy Development Process (PDP), feedback was gathered during RIPE 83 anda redlined version of the new draft PDP was published. Next to discussing the amendments on the RIPE list, an interim meeting to discuss suggested changes is proposed for January 2022.

Mirjam presented in the Opening Plenary of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2021 on behalf of the technical community. She managed to get the message across that all stakeholders have to work together. Further, the first RIPE Chair, Rob Blokzijl, was inducted in the Internet Hall of Fame.

Mirjam concluded with laying out the recommendations of the RIPE Database Requirement Task Force.

9. Finance

9.1 Financial Report

Simon-Jan Haytink presented the financial report for November 2021. The financial position of the RIPE NCC remains very positive with income 11% above budget due to a big increase in new LIRs and expenditures 14% under budget, mainly due to the impact of COVID-19 (no travel and physical meetings).

9.2 Status treasury portfolio management

The project team that was formed to select a professional party for portfolio management met with three different parties to see what they offer to manage our investment portfolio. The offers were discussed and further analysis is needed. Simon-Jan will create a comparative overview for the next board meeting so a decision can be made.

9.3 Charging Scheme 2023

During the last General Meeting (GM) in November 2021, Ondřej Filip presented two possible alternative models for the Charging Scheme 2023 that were developed after input from members in a survey and Open House on 20 September. The input from the members and community on the Charging Scheme models during RIPE 83 was discussed by the Board.

Simon-Jan shared points raised during the discussions at RIPE 83 and asked the Board if those points needed to be taken into account. In earlier voting there was only one alternative Charging Scheme model offered and that was not approved. If the existing Charging Scheme is on the voting ballot, this can be avoided.

After discussion, the Board agreed to present four Charging Scheme models to choose from:

The current Charging Scheme model with a higher fee to increase the safety margin
The current Charging Scheme with an additional fee for ASNs
The Charging Scheme model B as presented by Ondřej during the GM
The Charging Scheme model B but with 7 or 8 categories instead of 5

A calculator is being developed where members can see the fee they would need to pay for the resources they have with the different models. Ideally, the new Charging Scheme will remove the distinction between LIRs and members.

The Board stated that the Charging Scheme models should be discussed in another Open House in January or February 2022 before they are offered as voting options during the GM in May 2022. The Chairman can explain the fundamentals of the Charging Scheme to the members and the Treasurer can present the different models. Depending on the discussion, it could be decided that less options are brought forward to vote for.

Action EBD434 / 16/12/2021 / FC
To organise another Open House for members in January or February 2022 regarding the possible Charging Scheme models.

10. Corporate Governance

10.1 Closing Procedure

Athina Fragkouli proposed two amendments to the RIPE NCC procedural document “Closure of Members, Deregistration of Internet Resources and Legacy Internet Resources” (ripe-716)

The first amendment regards termination for non-payment.

Although the current document outlines “non-payment” as a reason for closure, it refers to the RIPE NCC Billing Procedure for the relevant procedure for termination.

The proposed amendment is to add the procedure for termination due to “non-payment” to the Closure procedure so that all procedures for termination are presented in one document. This procedure will replace the reference to the Billing procedure in Section A.1.2.2.e. for Members and in Section C for Legacy Holders with a Legacy Agreement.

The second proposed amendment regards revocation of RPKI certificates during the deregistration procedure of independent resources.

The deregistration procedure currently described in the document only mentions the revocation of RPKI certificates related to allocations and independent resources for a member’s own network. The revocation of RPKI certificates related to independent resources assigned through a sponsoring LIR is not described in the document. The proposal is to include the revocation of RPKI certificates in the description of the procedure for the deregistration of Internet resources as well. Section 2.2 will be amended accordingly.

The Board agreed with the proposed changes.

Resolution EB#150-R-03
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the proposed amendments to the RIPE NCC procedural document “Closure of Members, Deregistration of Internet Resources and Legacy Internet Resources”.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

10.2 Review General Meeting

Fergal Cunningham presented a review of the GM of November 2021.

The earlier time slot worked well, as well as the improved process to check member voting rights. The BigPulse reporting error, however, resulted in delay of voting results and confusion.

The Board discussed the matter and decided to investigate possible other voting procedures, as not many people understand the preferential voting and the circumstances have changed. Previously there were paper ballots next to the electronic voting and currently only the latter is available. Additionally, a mock voting round a week before the real voting round could prevent errors in voting reports due to new releases of the software.

Action EBD435 / 16/12/2021 / FC
To investigate possible voting models other than preferential voting.

10.3 Trusted contacts

The Board should decide on Trusted Contacts for the EB elections next year in May.

The Code of Conduct (CoC) Team of the previous EB election can have a report ready before the next election cycle. Since the system was not tested, there is not much to report. The Board could ask the previous CoC Team to carry out the work again or issue a new call for volunteers to be part of the CoC Team.

The Board agreed to make a new call for members of the CoC Team to give everyone a chance to join.

Action EBD436 / 16/12/2021 / FC
To issue a call for members of the Code of Conduct Team for the upcoming Executive Board elections in May 2022. The Code of Conduct Team needs to be in place before the election process starts.

11. Strategy 2022-2026

Fergal highlighted the amendments to the Strategy 2022-2026, compared to the draft version that was approved by the Board during EB#148 in September 2021:

RPKI is added to list of services we provide in the introduction
Last paragraph of introduction references previous strategic focus and how it brought us to this point
Definitions and Implementation are combined into one page

Further, there was a proposal to add environmental sustainability to the strategy. The Board exchanged their views on the pros and cons of the proposal and decided to further discuss the matter in the coming year.

The Board agreed with the proposed Strategy 2022-2026.

Resolution EB#150-R-04:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the RIPE NCC Strategy 2022-2026 and the publication of the document.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

12. Activity Plan and Budget 2022

Fergal shared the changes to the Activity Plan and Budget 2022 compared to the draft version that was approved by the Board during EB#148 in September 2021.

Amendments to the Activity Plan:

Rephrased description and activities under Registration of IP Addresses and ASNs
Noted that since November 2021 there has been an active IPv4 waiting list
Noted that ripe.net will be modernised in how content is displayed and organised
Rephrased the activities under Legal
Added increases and decreases of costs per activity 2022 in the overview table and under each heading
Added reference to Sanctions Transparency Report
Noted that we will look to report on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of our engagement activities
Minor editorial changes

Amendments to the Budget:

Restated Budget Figures:
Increase in Consultancy in the Office of the Managing Director of 150 kEUR
Of the total 530 kEUR in cloud costs, 200 kEUR has been moved to the various activities they relate to:
- Information Services OPEX decreased by 200 kEUR
- Registry OPEX increased by 100 kEUR
- External Engagement and Community OPEX increased by 50 kEUR
- Maintaining a strong organisation OPEX increased by 50 kEUR
HR FTE decreased by 0.8 FTE and 80 kEUR budget
Office of the Managing Director FTE increased by 0.8 and budget increased by 80 kEUR
Surplus changed from 400 kEUR to 250 kEUR.

The Board agreed with the changes, approved the Activity Plan and Budget 2022 and appreciated the layout of the document.

Resolution EB#150-R-05:
The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the RIPE NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2022 and the publication of the document.

The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously adopted the resolution.

13. Community and Engagement - CCO

13.1 Status Objectives 2021

Hisham presented the status report of the objectives of 2021 of Community and Engagement.

13.2 Measuring impact, the Community & Engagement Dashboard

It is important to understand the needs of local communities in our service region and to what extent the RIPE NCC is making a difference in the community. Hisham introduced a model to assess the knowledge, experience, ability to coordinate and execute of countries in the service region. This will support understanding which engagements will be most suitable in which region.

14. Information Services - CIO

14.1 Status Objectives 2021

Kaveh presented the status report of the objectives of 2021 of Information Services.

One of the activities of Information Services is running K-root as root server operator. The Root Server System supports the entire Internet community by serving a single consistent root zone, while the various root server operators have their own models and ways of deploying. The RIPE NCC operates k.root-servers.net, one of the 13 Internet root name servers, and is hosting 77 instances. The Board asked to be reminded for what reason the RIPE NCC is hosting 77 instances of K-root. Kaveh explained the background of the model and agreed to create a briefing document for the Board.

15. AOB

The Board asked where the six-month quarantine period comes from before returned IPv4 space is handed out again. The six months are based on experience and best practices, to allow entries in routing tables or on blacklists to be cleared before the space is announced again.

The Board discussed a suggestion to freeze the IPv4 waiting list and reaffirmed they will not take any action until there is a concrete policy proposal in the Address Policy Working Group.

16. Executive Session

At the end of the meeting, the Board had an executive session with Hans Petter, to assess the results of 2021 and provide feedback and recommendations. The Board expressed satisfaction with the work in 2021 and highlighted areas for improvements.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 16:10.

Resolutions