[cooperation-wg] Principles for a RIPE Proposal on IANA Oversight

Dear colleagues,
 
The RIPE NCC is working closely with the Cooperation Working Group Co-chairs and members of the RIPE community to draft a proposal on the future oversight of the IANA functions.
 
To assist in the process, we developed a straightforward set of principles based primarily on the discussions in this working group at RIPE 68 and on the working group’s mailing list. Feedback from the working group on the three areas listed below, on whether to express agreement or otherwise, and on any other related issues or questions is a vital part of this process. We would appreciate this feedback by the end of September.
 
At the beginning of October, we plan to present a rough draft proposal to the working group for further discussion ahead of the RIPE 69 Meeting in London.
 
Further background information, including a detailed overview of the NTIA IANA functions contract and a timeline for the five RIR community discussion processes, was recently published on the NRO website:
https://www.nro.net/iana-oversight
 
Best regards,
 
Chris Buckridge 
RIPE NCC
 
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Background
 
The Regional Internet Registry (RIR) communities have successful, long-established processes for making Internet number resource policy at the global and regional levels. These processes are defined as being open to all interested parties, transparent in their processes and operations, and driven by the community themselves in a “bottom-up” fashion via consensus-based decision-making processes. These processes operate at the regional level to create policies that address regional needs and interests. More rarely, they serve to create global policies regarding the top level of the Internet number registration hierarchy. These global policies are implemented by the IANA operator, a role currently fulfilled by ICANN.
 
RIR policy development processes pre-date ICANN and the current NTIA IANA functions contract. The NTIA plays no explicit role in making or directing policy for the operation of those IANA functions relating to Internet number resources. The current processes and structures have resulted in excellent operation of the IANA functions relating to Internet number administration by ICANN, under policy direction from the RIR communities.
 
 
1. The following are priorities for the RIPE community:
 
  - There should be minimal operational change. The current processes for IANA operation and related policy-making are effective and allow for the participation of all interested parties.
  - Any new oversight mechanism should incorporate and build on the existing RIR community policy-making processes.
  - The RIR communities are ultimately accountable for the management of those IANA functions relating to management of the global Internet number resource pools, and this should be reflected in any new oversight mechanisms defined in a global proposal to NTIA.
 
 
2. A model for IANA oversight endorsed by the RIPE community should include the following elements:
 
  - ICANN has historically managed operation of the IANA functions well, and should continue to do so at this time.
  - The IANA functions operator must be answerable and accountable to the communities that it serves. The number resource community is represented in such accountability processes by the membership-based RIR organisations.
  - Funding arrangements to cover the staff, equipment and other operational costs associated with operation of the IANA functions should be transparent and stable.
  - Efforts should be made to maintain the IANA functions as a “bundle”, managed by a single operator.
  - This does not necessarily imply a single, central point of oversight authority. Any proposed oversight mechanism should reflect the legitimate authority of different communities for specific functions as they relate to number resources, domain names and protocol parameters.
 
 
3. RIPE community input to the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG), which is responsible for developing a global proposal to NTIA, will be developed according to the following process:
 
  - Discussion in the RIPE community is centralised in the RIPE Cooperation Working Group.
  - The RIPE community discussion will aim to produce an output document by 1 December 2014.
  - The RIPE Cooperation Working Group Chairs will be responsible for assessing community consensus on this output document.
  - This RIPE output document will be sent to the Number Resource Organization Executive Council (made up of the five RIR CEOs), who will compile a single NRO input to the ICG.
  - A representative of the NRO Number Council will confirm that text compiled by the NRO EC accurately reflects the output of the five RIR community discussions.
  - The NRO proposal will be shared with the five RIR communities ahead of submission to the ICG.
  - Any global proposal produced by the ICG will be conveyed back to the RIPE community via the RIPE Cooperation Working Group to allow for discussion of any objections or concerns.
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