LIR-34.4 Form a task force for documenting the existing policy process

Moving further forward on the action list I would like to initiate this
small project: produce documentation on how we develop addressing policy in
the RIPE region.

Tentative plan:
11/1 Kick off
24/1 Close of discussion on list
31/1 Editorial group posts draft to the list
21/2 Week of RIPE 35

thus aggressive, this plan does provide some slack to ensure deliverables
before the RIPE meeting.

Note that the task this time is to document the current process, not suggest
a new better or improved process. I believe it is important for everybody
involved, or remotely interested in, how addressing policy in the RIPE is
developed to have a common understanding on how the current process works
BEFORE we start discussing how to improve the process if at all needed.

Background.
==========
The RIPE working group named lir-wg, and abbreviation for Local Internet
Registry Working Group, is the open forum where addressing policy in the
RIPE area as been developed. Great care has been taken by the community, the
previous chair of this working group , and the chair of RIPE in particular,
to keep this an open forum.
It is worth being particularly clear on the fact that,  even though the RIPE
NCC finances and operations are eventually controlled by the RIPE NCC
Association membership, i.e. those who buy services from the RIPE NCC,
particular care has been taken over time to make sure that the forum for
setting the addressing policies RIPE NCC operates under, is NOT restricted
to its membership.

Historicaly we have initiated changes to policy in several different ways:
- Changes have been initiated from the RIPE NCC
- Individuals have initiated Changes
- Other fora like IETF have initiated Changes
Developing documentation of new policy has likewise been carried out in a
number of slightly different ways, the two most important being:
- The major rewrite that resulted in RIPE 185 European Internet Registry
Policies and Procedures was managed by an editorial group consisting on
members of the working group and RIPE NCC staff. The policy was put in
writing by the RIPE NCC staff acting as a secretary of the group.
- The IPv6 policy document RIPE 196 was developed jointly by the regional
registries in close co-operation with the IP v6 working group.

The working groups conduct their work not only at open meetings at the open
RIPE meetings where anybody can
Common to all of this is that the final policy documents are made public not
only to the working group but also presented to the RIPE plenary and
published on the RIPE public web site at www.ripe.net.

Currently there are no formal ways to adapt new policy at the working groups
meeting or at the mailing list. This leaves the chair of the WG with the
particular power to suggest to the meeting not to adapt changes and thus
initiate further discussion at the list or future meetings.
The meeting does have the power to follow such advice or not. In many ways
this is similar to the IETF rough consensus, but we need to rely on advice
from the RIPE NCC, our common sense and fairness instead of running code.

The following people volunteered at the meeting to form a task force to
write up this:

Aaron Hamilton - Cable & Wireless
Sam Critchley - UUNET
Tim Dmons - IS Products, UK
Barbara Roseman - Frontier globalcenter
Hans van der Veer, Lucent tech
Gordon Lennox, European Commision

Could you reconfirm your availability within the suggested timeframe and
interest to me personally and provide me with your preferred email address.
Other volunteers are also appreciated!
Sincerely,
Hans Petter Holen