Minutes 101st Executive Board Meeting

Attendees:

• Dmitry Burkov, ICANN Liaison
• Maria Häll, Member (remotely)
• Christian Kaufmann, Secretary
• Nigel Titley, Chairman
• Remco Van Mook, Treasurer
• Salam Yamout, Member
• János Zsakó, Member

• Hans Petter Holen, RIPE Chair
• Sabine Mader, Assistant to the Managing Director, RIPE NCC
• Axel Pawlik, Managing Director, RIPE NCC
• Paul Rendek, Director of External Relations, RIPE NCC
• Jochem de Ruig, Chief Financial Officer, RIPE NCC

Agenda

1. Agenda / Comments

1.1 Apologies, New Agenda Points

1.2 Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#98, EB#99 and EB#100

1.3 Date of Next Meetings

1.4 Conference Attendance Executive Board 2015/2016

2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda

2 a) action items completed

2 b) action items in progress

3. Report from the RIPE NCC

3.1 Financial Update

3.1.1 Treasury

3.2 Housing

3.3 Legal & Corporate Documents

3.3.1 LEA Requests

3.4 Services (30')

3.4.1 ATLAS

3.4.2 K-Root Expansion

3.4.3 Good of the Internet

3.4.3.1 - RACI 2.0 Proposal

3.4.3.2 - Supporting Euro-IX Twinning Program


3.4.3.3 - Cryptech Project

3.4.3.4 - Internet Journal

3.4.3.5 - IETF Endowment

3.5 Arbiters

4. Review RIPE-70 Amsterdam & RIPE NCC General Meeting

4.1 General Meeting May 2015

4.2 Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 13-15 May 2015

5. Direction 2016

5.1 Activities & Budget

5.2 Financial Outlook 2015-2017

6. External Relations

6.1 ICANN / IANA

6.2 NRO / RIRs

6.3 ITU

6.4 RIPE

6.5 IETF

7. AOB

The Chairman Nigel Titley opened the meeting at 13:00

1. Agenda / Comments

1.1 Apologies, New Agenda Points

No apologies, all Board members were present. Rob Blokzijl was not present at the meeting and Nigel reported that he sent his apologies for not joining.

Nigel asked if there were any new agenda points to bring forward. The following agenda points were raised

• Internet Society's IETF Endowment
• RIPE NCC Strategy Document
• RIPE NCC Branding

It was decided that the first of these points would be covered under agenda point 3.4.4, “Good of the Internet”, and the latter two under agenda point 7, AOB.

It was suggested that RIPE Meeting Dates 2017 be covered under agenda point 6.4

1.2 Approval of Previous Minutes, EB#98, EB#99 and EB#100

Nigel asked if there were any final comments on the previous set of minutes. No comment was brought forward and the Board approved the minutes of Executive Board Meetings EB#98, EB#99 and EB#100.

1.3 Date of Next Meetings

The dates of upcoming Board meetings are:

• 1 October 2015, Strategy Meeting, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam,
• 2 October 2015, 09:30, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam
• 16 & 18 November, Informal Meetings during RIPE-71, Bucharest
• 10 December 2015, 13:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam (lunch at 12:00)
• 11 December 2015, RIPE NCC Christmas Dinner, Amsterdam
• 31 March 2016, 09:00, Istanbul
• 6 July 2016, 13:00, Oslo (lunch at 12:00)
• 8 September 2016, 09:00, RIPE NCC Offices, Amsterdam

1.4 Conference Attendance Executive Board 2015/2016

Nigel asked the Board to update the calendar and provide Sam with details of intended travel by the close of the meeting.

2. Remaining Outstanding Actions, not covered by agenda

2 a) action items completed

ACTION EB313 19/03/2015 AP

The RIPE NCC Executive Board tasked Axel to communicate that the intention of the policy proposal 2014-04 "Removing IPv6 Requirement for Receiving Space from the Final /8" is not to de-stimulate the adoption of IPv6.

Status 16/06/2015: DONE

ACTION EB314 19/03/2015 AP

To investigate the option to require from members an annual acknowledgement of quarterly or half-yearly invoicing.

Status 16/06/2015: Discharged: the activity is ongoing

ACTION EB315 19/03/2015 AP

Axel Pawlik to draft an email for Nigel Titley to communicate to the membership regarding the Draft Charging Scheme 2016.

Status 16/06/2015: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-01:

The RIPE NCC Executive Board authorises and instructs the RIPE NCC Management to:

1) Open an “Investment Portfolio” with ING bank

2) Purchase four (4) government bonds for approximately 1 million EUR each

3) Set up automatic transfers of monthly payments to new pension provider "Brand New Day”

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-02:

The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to extend the rental contract for Singel 258 for one more year to the end of 2016.

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-03:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves that LIRs which close within 12 months have to pay the full annual fee before commencement of a merger/transfer/closure procedure of their LIR account.”

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-04:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to propose to continue with the current fee model with a lower service fee of EUR 1,400 for 2016. The PI fee should remain at EUR 50. The annual fee for Legacy Resource holders with a direct contract should remain the same as for LIRs.

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-05:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to continue the extension of the voting window until Friday morning 09:00 until further notice.”

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-06:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board approves the Draft Agenda for the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2015.”

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#98-R-07:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board resolves to establish a reserve of EUR 1 million as the RIPE NCC contribution towards the Joint RIR Stability Fund. This amount will remain part of the RIPE NCC reserves until the fund is called upon by one of the RIRs.”

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

ACTION EB317 01/04/2015

The RIPE NCC to prepare a separate agenda item for the Draft Agenda of the RIPE NCC General Meeting in May 2015 with a vote on whether to charge EUR 50 for AS numbers.

Status 16/06/2015: DONE

Resolution EB#99-R-01:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously approves the RIPE NCC Financial Report 2014 and asks the RIPE NCC to publish the document”.

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

Resolution EB#99-R-02:

“The RIPE NCC Executive Board unanimously approves the RIPE NCC Annual Report 2014”.

Status 16/06/2015: Resulting actions: DONE

2 b) action items in progress

ACTION EB312 19/03/2015 SY/MH

Salam Yamout and Maria Häll will work on a proposal with SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) regarding the funding for ISIF (Information Society Innovation Fund) projects, as well as further development of the RACI project.

Status 16/06/2015: Ongoing: see proposal for discussion under topic 3.4.3.1

ACTION EB316 19/03/2015

Axel Pawlik to draft jointly with the other RIR CEOs a document defining the operations of the Joint RIR stability fund.

Status 16/06/2015: Ongoing: see proposal for discussion under topic 6.2

3. Report from the RIPE NCC

Axel provided a brief summary of the report submitted to the Executive Board prior to the meeting. The Board discussed the External Relations Report with a focus on data protection laws that are emerging in Russia.

The Board asked for a broader summary of activities that take place in the European part of the RIPE NCC service region. If possible, they would like to see a graphic that maps out the concentration of activities across the various parts of the service region.

ACTION: The Board requested the RIPE NCC to draw up a plan to manage perceived concerns with Personal Data laws in Russia. As part of this action, the RIPE NCC will investigate how a copy of the database could be maintained outside of the European Union.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to produce graphical representation of resources spent in the various regions on External Relations activities and provide a summary of activities with a balance from the regions.

3.1 Financial Update

Jochem reported on a project to ask members to move from a quarterly to an annual payment scheme. Jochem confirmed that the RIPE NCC Management would send an annual statement (invoice) at the beginning of each year to reflect the annual fee obligation of each member. He stressed that the annual fee could still be paid in instalments.

3.1.1 Treasury

Jochem proposes that the Board should consider obtaining two extra government bonds to be purchased in Euros. He reported that returns on governments bonds are still very low.

The Board confirmed that the purpose of the reserves was to maintain the funds in a stable manner. Return on investment is seen as a secondary goal.

ACTION: The Board tasked Jochem to liaise with the Treasurer to purchase two different government bonds in EUR for an amount of 1 million EUR each.

ACTION EB311 19/03/2015 AP

The RIPE NCC Executive Board tasked the RIPE NCC Management to produce regular overviews over government bonds held and their performance over time at fair value.

Status 16/06/2015: DONE

3.2 Housing

Jochem provided an update on the progress of RIPE NCC housing. He reported that the new office building is much more suitable for the RIPE NCC. The proposed offices are financially cheaper than the current housing situation and will result in a decrease of the RIPE NCC annual housing costs.

Resolution EB#101-R-01:

The Board approves the proposed rental agreements for the new office building at Stationsplein 5, Amsterdam (de Oost) and authorises and instructs Axel to sign the contract.

3.3 Legal & Corporate Documents

After a brief review of the proposed changes to RIPE NCC corporate documents, Nigel asked the Board for any comment on the minor editorial changes. It was agreed that each change should include references to the Articles of Association (AoA) and make certain that the AoA prevail in these documents.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to submit the required changes to the RIPE NCC corporate documents to the Board within two weeks for their approval. Approval will be given by email on the Executive Board mailing list.

3.3.1 LEA Requests

Jochem reported that the RIPE NCC has not had any formal requests since the last report provided to the Executive Board. No further questions were raised.

3.4 Services

3.4.1 RIPE Atlas

Axel gave a brief overview of the status of the Atlas project stating that there are currently 130 RIPE Atlas Anchors deployed (up from 98 at December 2014) with more than 21,400 registered RIPE Atlas users. He mentioned that a new generation of probes is being developed to enable new features like WiFi Measurements also reducing the cost of each probe.

Axel reported that in March the RIPE NCC ran a Hackathon for RIPE Atlas visualisations. He noted that 70 applications were received and 24 individuals participated in the event with a total of 11 projects being delivered. All of the work is available as running code and some results are being integrated into the main RIPE Atlas project. The Board stated that they were pleased with the outcome of the Hackathon.

3.4.2 K-Root Expansion

Axel reported that the RIPE NCC has opened up K-Root for expansion, as has been communicated to the community.

He added that with investment in automation, the RIPE NCC has created a platform to expand the network without any noticeable additional cost to the RIPE NCC. The new design requires minimal setup and maintenance effort from the RIPE NCC.

The Board was pleased to see the developments in K-Root and that costs are being contained while the service delivery remains stable.

3.4.3 Good of the Internet

3.4.3.1 RACI 2.0 Proposal

Salam provided an update on the RACI project and planned submissions for funding to the Seed Alliance by Sida. Salam and Maria will be approaching the Sida with a proposal and will report back to the Board with an expected level of funding that may be provided by the Sida.

ACTION: The Board asked Maria and Salam to approach the Seed Alliance to request funding for the RACI project.

3.4.3.2 Supporting Euro-IX Twinning Program


After discussion about the Euro-IX Twinning Program the Board agreed that more information is needed from EURO-IX in order to consider any commitment to the program.

3.4.3.3 Cryptech Project

Maria provided an update to the Cryptech project. She reported that the project raised 650 KEUR in the last 18 months and this is lower than expected and therefore development is also slower than expected. She mentioned that the project team at the IETF in Prague would deliver a full presentation. She stressed that more financial resources are needed to progress this activity.

The Board discussed the Cryptech project and the recent request for further funding of the project. After discussion, the Board asked for more formal reporting on the status of the project before any discussion for subsequent funding would be considered.

3.4.3.4 Internet Journal

The Board discussed the status of the Internet Journal. It was noted that ISOC is providing funding for the journal and the Board concluded that no further funding was required from the RIPE NCC.

3.4.3.5 IETF Endowment

Axel reported that ISOC has recently published a document on the IETF Endowment fund. After some deliberation, the Board agreed that the funds currently provided to ISOC that are intended to fund the IETF, could be moved to the IETF Endowment fund.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to contact Cathy Brown for her advice on the current funds given to ISOC for IETF support and whether these funds should be directed to the IETF Endowment fund.

3.5 Arbiters

Jochem provided an update from the Arbiters meeting. The Arbitration panel indicated there is no need for additional Arbiters. They requested to amend the procedure to be able to extend the Arbitration procedure in case of complex cases. Furthermore, they will present at the next RIPE Services Working Group to make sure the membership and community is aware of the Arbitration panel and its role.

ACTION: The Board asked the RIPE NCC to draft an amended process including an extended Arbitration procedure to add flexibility in the arbitration process in light of potentially complex cases.

4. Review RIPE-70 Amsterdam & RIPE NCC General Meeting

4.1 General Meeting May 2015

The Board unanimously agreed that the RIPE 70 Meeting in Amsterdam was very well organised and well attended. The Board thanked the RIPE NCC for its work in organising the RIPE Meeting.

Jochem raised the issue of votes brought forward in the General Meeting May 2015 and in particular the votes cast for the resolution to discharge the Board of any actions as they appear in the Annual Report 2014. Jochem suggested that the Board provide a presentation on this resolution at the upcoming General Meeting October 2015. There was a general feeling that the members were not totally clear what the purpose and effect of this resolution are.

ACTION: The Board asked the RIPE NCC to work on the financial stress testing that was requested at the General Meeting May 2015 meeting.

4.2 Draft Minutes RIPE NCC General Meeting 13-15 May 2015

The Board expressed that they were pleased with the minutes of the General Meeting May 2015. No further comment was raised.

5. Direction 2016

5.1 Activities & Budget

Axel reviewed the Activities and Budget proposal sent to the Board prior to the meeting. He mentioned that there are no significant changes in activities planned. With the continued growth in membership, he mentioned that we have kept staffing levels stable for two years. He suggested that with the further increase in membership a moderate staffing increase would be necessary to be able to continue service to the membership on the agreed and expected levels.

Remco reported that in section 5 he sees the increase of 12% in the budget as high. He would like to see this decrease. He suggested that the RIPE NCC provide a separate budget for the housing change for reporting in September.

Jochem provided a review of the budget proposal. Dmitry believes that the membership will continue to grow and he would like the RIPE NCC to better understand the changing environment. He suggested that more businesses would rely on resources directly from the RIPE NCC. He would like the RIPE NCC to understand its customer base more closely. He believes that having closer relations with key players in the business environment will enable RIPE NCC to plan better for the future. This counts for both IPv4 and IPv6 resources. He asked for a more in-depth study to identify the RIPE NCC customer base.

ACTION: The Board asked the RIPE NCC to analyse the current and expected customer base to see what category of business they belong to. They also asked that the RIPE NCC collect specific data on any new members that join the RIPE NCC.

Salam asked if a consolidated budget line could be produced to include all expenditure for the good of the Internet.

ACTION: The Board asked Axel to provide a more consolidated budget report for all expenditure that could be categorised for the good of the Internet.

5.2 Financial Outlook 2015-2017

The Board discussed the different financial scenarios. The Board agreed with the increased budget of approximately EUR 1.1 million for housing. It was mentioned that this will be a one-off for the new office location and therefore they would like to separate this budget in the budget proposal for 2016 for extra clarity.

6. External Relations

6.1 ICANN / IANA

Dmitry provided an overview of the current state of the IANA Stewardship Transition. The Board discussed the current status and the expected way forward. It was agreed that the Numbers community was well prepared to move forward in the process. The Board thanked the RIPE NCC for its work and asked that they work towards a positive outcome for the membership and community.

6.2 NRO / RIRs

Axel provided a short update on RIR coordination. He stated that recently, most coordination work in the NRO EC currently was focused on the IANA Stewardship Transition activity. No further questions were asked.

Regarding the Joint RIR Stability Fund, the Board took note of the forwarded document regarding operational procedures. Axel proposed that in order to release cash funds, he would seek explicit agreement from the Chairman and Treasurer.

6.3 ITU

No specific points were raised relating to the ITU.

6.4 RIPE

Hans Petter provided a summary of his experience at RIPE 70 in Amsterdam. He mentioned that it was the first time that presentations at RIPE Working Groups were rated at a RIPE meeting. He was pleased to say that the outcome was positive.

Hans Petter has asked for a report of the trends taken from the collection of various data at RIPE Meetings. He believes that this will help with future planning. He also mentioned that there is a proposal to update the Code of Conduct at RIPE meetings. A Task Force set up for this as well as the Working Group Chairs will receive this document for review.

Hans Petter reported that he would provide guidance on the roles of the RIPE Chair, PC and RIPE NCC staff in developing the overall RIPE program. This would ensure that everyone involved in planning a RIPE Meeting could deliver their part efficiently.

Remco raised the point that the RIPE Meeting in May 2017 is in conflict with International Telecoms Week. Remco asked if this conflict could be resolved and if RIPE could move its meeting date. The Board agreed that conflicts with International events should be avoided if at all possible. Hans Petter said that he would do whatever he could to avoid any clashes with International events that would have an overlap of participants with RIPE meetings.

6.5 IETF

Axel mentioned that the IETF has come back to the RIPE NCC about running the LISP registry. Preliminary discussions are still taking place and Axel said that he would update the Board with any future developments.

7. AOB

- RIPE NCC Strategy Document

Salam and Maria asked if the RIPE NCC could provide the Board with a general strategy document. Salam believes that a strategy document is needed especially given the changing environment that the RIPE NCC operates in.

The Board agreed that it would be useful to organise a strategy meeting for the future direction of the RIPE NCC.

ACTION: Axel to prepare for a RIPE NCC strategy meeting with the Executive Board scheduled to take place on 1 October 2015.

- RIPE NCC Branding

Due to time constraints Nigel asked Paul to send the RIPE NCC Branding presentation to the Board mailing list for their feedback.

The Chairman thanked the RIPE NCC and the Board members and closed the meeting at 17:40

Outstanding Action Items:

EB317 19/03/2015 SY/MH

Salam Yamout and Maria Häll will work on a proposal with SIDA (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) regarding the funding for ISIF (Information Society Innovation Fund) projects, as well as further development of the RACI project.

Status 16/06/2015: Ongoing: see proposal for discussion under topic 3.4.3.1

EB316 19/03/2015

Axel Pawlik to draft jointly with the other RIR CEOs a document defining the operations of the Joint RIR stability fund.

Status 16/06/2015: Ongoing: see proposal for discussion under topic 6.2

New Action Items:

EB318 16/06/2015 AP

The Board requested the RIPE NCC to construct a plan to manage perceived concerns with Personal Data laws in Russia. As part of this action, the RIPE NCC will investigate how a copy of the database could be maintained outside of the European Union.

EB319 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked Axel to produce graphical representation of resources spent in the various regions on External Relations activities and provide a summary of activities with a balance from the regions.

EB320 16/06/2015 JdR

The Board tasked Jochem to liaise with the Treasurer to purchase two different government bonds in EUR for an amount of 1 million EUR each.

EB321 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked Axel to submit the required changes to the RIPE NCC corporate documents to the Board within two weeks for their approval. Approval will be given by email on the Executive Board mailing list.

EB322 16/06/2015 SY/MH

The Board asked Maria and Salam to approach the Seed Alliance to request funding for the RACI project.

EB323 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked Axel to contact Cathy Brown for her advice on the current funds given to ISOC for IETF support and whether these funds should be directed to the IETF Endowment fund.

EB324 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked the RIPE NCC to draft an amended process including an extended Arbitration procedure to add flexibility in the arbitration process in light of potentially complex cases.

EB325 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked the RIPE NCC to work on the financial stress testing that was requested at the GM May 2015 meeting.

EB326 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked the RIPE NCC to analyse the current and expected customer base to see what category of business they belong to. They also asked that the RIPE NCC collect-specific data on any new members that join the RIPE NCC.

EB327 16/06/2015 AP

The Board asked Axel to provide a more consolidated budget report for all expenditure that could be categorised for the good of the Internet.

EB328 16/06/2015 AP

Axel to prepare for a RIPE NCC strategy meeting with the Executive Board scheduled to take place on 1 October 2015.

Resolutions:

Resolution EB#101-R-01:

The Board approves the proposed rental agreements for the new office building at Stationsplein 5, Amsterdam (de Oost) and authorises and instructs Axel to sign the contract.