[ncc-announce] RIPE NCC GM Agenda, Activity Plan, Budget and Charging Scheme

Dear Colleagues,

The RIPE NCC service region is very diverse and includes a wide variety 
of regions, languages and economies. The RIPE NCC Executive Board makes 
every endeavour to position the RIPE NCC so that it can deliver the 
highest level of service to the more than 8,000 members across its 
service region.

We are elected by those members to represent their interests and to 
ensure that the organisation performs activities that meet their needs. 
Over the last year, the Executive Board has thoroughly examined the 
activities performed by the RIPE NCC. In particular, we have focused on 
analysing these activities in relation to the detailed feedback we have 
received from the membership and in light of changing conditions 
affecting the Internet industry. We have also made a sustained effort to 
develop alternative charging models through which the activities 
performed on behalf of the membership are covered by the annual service 
fees paid by the members.

During this process, we have tried to incorporate the feedback that we 
have received from you. In addition to following the discussions taking 
place on the members’ mailing list and at RIPE Meetings, we commissioned 
an independent survey that generated valuable feedback. We also made 
sure to respond to comments and criticisms we received at recent RIPE 
NCC General Meetings. The results of these efforts are the Draft RIPE 
NCC Activity Plan and Budget 2013 and the proposals for the RIPE NCC 
Charging Scheme 2013.

DRAFT ACTIVITY PLAN AND BUDGET 2013

As a result of your feedback about the previous Draft Activity Plan and 
Budget, we have provided a simpler format with a much clearer connection 
between the proposed activities and corresponding budget figures. We 
hope this will provide you with a quicker and more transparent way to 
assess the activities performed by the RIPE NCC on your behalf.

We would like to point out some of the key strategic areas in the Draft 
Activity Plan and Budget 2013:

- The Registry: There is a sharp focus on maintaining and developing the 
registry to ensure it remains robust and that the data it contains is 
accurate. Resource Certification (RPKI) is continuing to be developed 
with an emphasis on ensuring operator autonomy.

- Services: Effort has been put into developing RIPEstat, a service that 
provides RIPE NCC members with information about the history and current 
state of any IP number resource. We are also proposing to put 
significant efforts into RIPE Atlas, a unique tool that enables users to 
measure how packets actually travel around the Internet.

- Coordination Activities: In recent years, the RIPE NCC has taken an 
increasingly active role in reaching out to governments, regulators and 
other public bodies, such as law enforcement. This is vital for the RIPE 
NCC membership and the RIPE community as it enables the RIPE NCC to 
influence a range of public and intergovernmental bodies and to promote 
the success of the self-regulatory model of the Internet. It is 
difficult to over emphasise the importance of this work if we wish the 
Internet to continue in the form in which we know it.


CHARGING SCHEME 2013 PROPOSALS

The Executive Board is proposing three charging scheme options for RIPE 
NCC members to consider, discuss and vote on at the General Meeting. The 
options can be summarised as follows:

Option A – Under this option, there are no categories and every LIR pays 
the same fee
Option B – Based on the model presented to the membership in July 2012, 
which includes self-determination of billing categories for 2014
Option C – Based on the current Charging Scheme model with modifications 
to the billing score algorithm to include IPv6 and remove the separate 
charge for AS Numbers

The three options are presented to the membership in order to address 
the wide range of ideas and concerns raised by the membership in recent 
discussion of the Charging Scheme model. The RIPE NCC Executive Board is 
eager to give members the opportunity to vote for the Charging Scheme 
model they prefer.

The Executive Board presented a draft model to the membership in July 
2012, and we firmly believe that this is the model (Option B) that most 
fully incorporates the recommendations of the Charging Scheme Task Force 
and is best placed to provide stability for both the RIPE NCC and its 
members in the years to come.

The Draft Activity Plan and Budget 2013 and the proposed charging scheme 
options are available at:

http://www.ripe.net/lir-services/ncc/gm/september-2012/documents

We encourage you to read these documents in advance of the General 
Meeting and to post any feedback you have on the mailing list for RIPE 
NCC members (members-discuss at ripe.net).

If you wish to contact the Executive Board directly, you are also 
welcome to email us at:

exec-board at ripe.net

Best regards

Nigel Titley
Executive Board Chairman