[members-discuss] Ukrainian members payments

Dear Sergey, members,

Below you will find our response to Oleksandr Savchuk's request on behalf of the Ukrainian Internet Society (UIA)[1].

Regards

Hans Petter Holen
Managing Director
RIPE NCC

[1] https://www.ripe.net/ripe/mail/archives/members-discuss/2022-April/004562.html 

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Mr Oleksandr Savchuk
Chairman of the Ukrainian Internet Association
Kyiv, Ukraine

24 May 2022


Re: Request to ‘Zero’ RIPE NCC Membership Fees for Ukrainian Network Operators

Dear Mr Savchuk,

Thank you for your letter dated 4 April 2022. We would like to first express our solidarity with Ukrainian network operators and our admiration for their efforts to maintain connectivity at such a difficult time. For our part, we will do what we can to support the Ukrainian membership, consistent with our mission to enable stable Internet operations throughout our region.

Regarding your request: as you will know, we have informed Ukrainian members that we will not terminate their Standard Service Agreements (SSAs) if they do not pay their 2022 fees on time or are unable to meet certain administrative requirements. At the RIPE NCC General Meeting last week, we discussed support for Ukrainian members (Agenda Point 4: Provision of Undisrupted Services to Members and Community) and explained the RIPE NCC’s current thinking on the matter of invoices, which appears to be generally supported by members.

The current Charging Scheme does not allow for a specific group of members to receive a payment exemption. Applying this would require a vote at the General Meeting along with additional legal and administrative overhead. We would also have to align this with the principle that we treat all members equally. The RIPE NCC will therefore continue with an extension of payment obligations for as long as needed. This approach can always be revisited if needed. If the situation in Ukraine changes and it becomes apparent an extension is not enough, we can have this discussion with the membership.

Finally, I would like to thank the members from Ukraine who made time to participate in our General Meeting last week. To do so given the current situation underlines how serious a matter this is for your association and the wider community in Ukraine, and we will certainly reciprocate by giving this our highest priority.

Sincerely,

Hans Petter Holen
Managing Director
RIPE NCC