Network Working Group S. Bradner
Request for Comments: 2690 Harvard University
Category: Informational September 1999
A Proposal for an MOU-Based ICANN Protocol Support Organization
Status of this Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved.
1. Abstract
This is a copy of the proposal for an MOU-based Protocol Supporting
Organization that was submitted to ICANN on April 23, 1999.
2. Cover Letter
This is a copy of the cover letter that was used to submit the draft
to ICANN.
Dear Esther,
Enclosed please find a description of a proposed Protocol
Support Organization (PSO) for ICANN's consideration. This
description is purposefully informal as it is meant to be a basis for
discussion and not a final formal legal document.
This proposal was developed primarily by using the open
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) poisson working group mailing
list to discuss successive versions of the proposal. In addition the
proposal has benefited from extensive discussion within the IETF's
Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG) and Internet Architecture
Board (IAB). The proposal also benefited from extended discussions
with representatives of the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
I look forward to ICANN's evaluation of this proposal and am
also looking forward to the MOU development meeting noted in section
1.c of the proposal.
Bradner Informational [Page 1]RFC 2690 ICANN PSO Proposal September 1999
Thanks
Scott
3. Proposal for a MOU-based PSO
ICANN Protocol Supporting Organization
1. Definition of the PSO.
a. Purpose.
The Protocol Support Organization (PSO) will be a consensus-
based advisory body within the ICANN framework.
b. Components.
The PSO will establish a "Protocol Council" and host an annual
open meeting (known as the "General Assembly" (described
below)).
c. Creation through a Memorandum of Understanding.
Arrangements regarding the PSO are to be reflected in a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among ICANN and a group of
open international Internet related standards development
organizations (SDOs). SDOs must satisfy a set of objective
criteria before they can be considered for membership. (see
Appendix A) After ICANN has accepted a proposal for an ICANN
PSO, including the SDO criteria, a meeting, open to all SDOs
that believe they meet the criteria, will be held to develop
the MOU.
All existing MOU signatories must agree to the admission of new
signatories. Rejected applicants can appeal to the ICANN Board
where a 2/3rds majority can override such a rejection if the
board finds the SDO meets the criteria.
2. The Protocol Council
a. Members
The Protocol Council will have up to [12] individual members
selected by the SDO signatories of the MOU. (see below)
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b. Term
The term of Protocol Council members will be 2 years. Removal
will be pursuant to procedures established through the MOU.
(Initial terms will be 1 and 2 years to provide initial
conditions for staggered terms.)
c. Powers/Duties of the Protocol Council
i Appointment of ICANN Directors
The Protocol Council will nominate 3 Directors to the ICANN
Board (By-laws, Art. V, Sec. 4(iii)). The initial directors
would have terms of 1, 2 and 3 years (By-laws, Art. V, Sec.
9(d)
The Protocol Council will conduct an open call for
nominations for any open PSO seats on the ICANN board. Each
SDO signatory to the MOU is entitled to nominate candidates
by procedures of its own choosing. Additionally,
nominations from the public at large should be allowed
under conditions to be defined by the Protocol Council.
The Protocol Council will select the PSO nominees to the
ICANN board from among these nominees by a means of its own
choosing.
ii Qualifications of ICANN Directors
No more than 2 PSO-nominated Directors may come from the
same geographic region.
iii Role of ICANN Directors
The Directors appointed by the Protocol Council will not
represent the PSO on the Board, but will function as full
Directors of ICANN. (By-laws, Art. V, Sec. 8)
iv Advisory Role
The Protocol Council will advise the Board of ICANN on
matters referred to the Protocol Council by the ICANN
Board. As per the ICANN By-laws, only matters relating to
the assignment of parameters for Internet protocols would
be so referred.
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d. Policy Development
In the tradition of the Internet, standards development
policies and conflict resolution mechanisms should be created
by those institutions most directly involved, without undue
interference from centralized bodies.
The ICANN By-laws vest in the PSO the primary responsibility
for developing and recommending substantive policies in the
area of protocol parameter assignment. The PSO is committed to
the proposition that policies for parameter assignments for
particular protocols are the responsibility of the individual
SDO that developed the protocol. The Protocol Council will be
available as needed by the SDOs to develop policies and
procedures for conflict resolution between SDOs. (By-laws, New
Art. VI, Sec. 2(b)). Any policies must be adopted by consensus
of all SDOs. The ICANN Board of Directors will take no
addition action regarding disputes between SDOs related to
protocol assignment or registration.
3. Annual Open Meeting (General Assembly)
a. Hosting an open meeting
The Protocol Council will periodically host an open meeting
("General Assembly") for promoting discussion and receiving
input regarding the work of the PSO. A General Assembly meeting
will be held at least once per year, and will permit open
participation by all interested individuals.
The annual open meeting will be held in conjunction with a
major meeting of one of the SDOs that have signed the MOU.
(with an effort to hold no 2 consecutive meetings in the same
geographic region.
It is expected that the major SDOs within the Internet protocol
standards development community will provide the constituency
of the General Assembly.
b. Selection of Protocol Council Members
Prior to the annual open meeting, the Protocol Council shall
make an open call for nominations to the upcoming vacancies in
the Protocol Council. Each SDO signatory to the PSO MOU will be
entitled to make nominations for some or all of the vacant
seats by a procedure of its own choosing. In the event that
there are more nominees than vacancies, an election will be
held in which each SDO signatory to the PSO MOU has equal votes.
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Protocol Council Members should fairly represent, to the extent
reasonable, all constituencies within the member SDOs,
including the major technical areas and geographical regions.
4. Open Proceedings and Documents
a. Communications between ICANN and the PSO
All communications between ICANN and the PSO will be made
public on the PSO web site. In the event that ICANN requests
that a communication be kept confidential, the PSO will honor
this request for a fixed period of time not to exceed one year,
and then make the communication public.
b. PSO Proceedings
All discussions of PSO business will be conducted on a
publicly-archived mailing list accessible through the PSO web
site. The schedule for the PSO meetings will be posted 90 days
in advance of the meeting date. The agenda for the Protocol
Council and annual open meetings will be posted on the PSO web
site at least 30 days before the meetings. The minutes from
all PSO meetings will be publicly posted on the PSO web site
within 30 days of the meeting.
5. Review of MOU
The MOU signatories will periodically review the results and
consequences of their cooperation under the MOU. When appropriate,
the signatories will consider the need for improvements in the MOU
and make suitable proposals for modifying and updating the
arrangements and scope of the MOU.
6. Recognition
ICANN will officially recognize the PSO described in this memo as
the PSO under the ICANN By-laws Art. 6, Sec. 3.
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Appendix A - requirements for consideration as a PSO-qualified SDO
SDOs must be open, international, voluntary technical standard and
technical specification development organizations which:
1) Develop standards and/or specifications for use over the public
Internet.
2) Can demonstrate active membership in the IP-related standards
and/or specification development process of more than 1000
individuals, if individual memberships are used by the
organization, or 100 companies, if corporate memberships are
used by the organization.
3) Has been in operation for 3 or more years at the time of their
application.
4) Can demonstrate that there is significant deployment of its
standards on the Internet.
5) The significant protocols controlled by the organization can be
implemented without paying a licensing fee to the organization
Open international voluntary standards bodies are defined as
international organizations that plan, develop or establish
voluntary standards.
An organization shall be considered open and international if its
standards and/or specifications development process is open to any
person or organization of any nationality on equitable terms. It
shall be considered voluntary if it makes no claim to compel use
of its standards and specifications.
In either case, to be considered as 'international', the voting
(or other "full") membership must include individuals or companies
primarily located in at least three different regions and at least
two different countries within each of those regions.
Bradner Informational [Page 6]RFC 2690 ICANN PSO Proposal September 1999
4. Security Considerations
This type of non-protocol document does not directly effect the
security of the Internet.
5. Editor's Address
Scott Bradner
Harvard University
1350 Mass Ave, rm 876
Cambridge, MA
02138
USA
Phone: +1 617 495 3864
EMail: sob@harvard.edu
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RFC 2690 ICANN PSO Proposal September 1999
6. Full Copyright Statement
Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999). All Rights Reserved.
This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
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included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this
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English.
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Acknowledgement
Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the
Internet Society.
Bradner Informational [Page 8]
