RIPE 64

Minutes of the RIPE Cooperation Working Group, RIPE 64
19 April 2012, 16:00 – 17:30 CET

Status: Draft

A: Administrivia

Chris Buckridge of the RIPE NCC welcomed attendees and noted that the two Co-Chairs of the Working Group were unable to be present, due to a meeting being held by the Swedish government which they were both required to attend. He introduced the agenda, and noted that the minutes of the last session did not appear to have been sent to the mailing list.

B: The International Telecom Regulations (ITRs) and the InternetPhil Rushton, BT

Phil Rushton gave a presentation on the current discussions surrounding the revision of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) and how these revisions may impact on the Internet technical community.

Chris Buckridge noted the participation of RIPE NCC (as a Sector Member) in the preparatory events leading up to WCIT and the WCIT itself. He noted that Sector Members have a limited amount of power in the negotiation of an international treaty, but that the RIPE NCC can play a useful role in making contacts with Member States and helping put them in contact with technical community members in their countries.

Olaf Kolkman noted that ISOC also holds Sector Membership of the ITU-T, and has been active in collecting and disseminating information about the ITR revision process to technical community stakeholders. These efforts have included the production of a matrix that outlines the issues of most relevance to Internet technical community stakeholders.

Dmitry Burkov noted that some ITU Member States never ratified the original ITRs, and asked what this means for the revised ITRs and their importance. Phil agreed on the current situation, and noted that it is not clear what a similar situation would mean for the revised ITRs, but that the likely outcome is greater fragmentation of regulatory strategies. Dmitry also noted that some lawyers (particularly in Russia) have noted that the existing ITU Charter does not cover Internet, and that the ITU membership may look into changing this. Phil agreed that this may be the case, and that the question of whether the charter should be changed depended on the roles you believe various bodies (the ITU, IETF, ICANN) should play in Internet governance. Dmitry noted that the next opportunity to update the ITU Charter will be in 2014.

Paul Rendek noted that the RIPE NCC is also increasing its involvement in regional groups that coordinate the development of regional positions on ITU matters, such as the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) and the League of Arab States.

C: Update on European Commission “Future Networks” ProjectsRüdiger Martin, European Commission

Rüdiger Martin gave a presentation on the work of the Future Networks division in the Directorate-General of Information Society and Media (DG INFSO) in the European Commission. This involves funding a wide range of projects related to the Internet, communications, networking and technology generally.

There were no questions.

D: Internet Governance in the Arab World: Launching the Arab IGFPaul Rendek, RIPE NCC

Paul Rendek gave a presentation on recent Internet governance developments in the Middle East, including the establishment of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (AIGF), which will meet for the first time in October 2012.

There were no questions.

X: Open discussion

Erika Hersaeus noted the EuroDIG, which will take place in Stockholm from 14-15 June, and will be a chance to discuss Internet governance from a regional (European) perspective. Chris Buckridge noted that the RIPE NCC is also involved in the organisation of this event, and is planning to contribute to an IPv6 session during the meeting.

Nurani Nimpuno gave a brief update on the global IGF process, which leads up to the IGF meeting Baku, Azerbaijan, 6-9 November.

Sebastien Bachollet of the ICANN Board noted the upcoming ICANN Meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, from 24-29 June, and encouraged all interested parties to attend.

Z: Close