Internet-Draft Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
Expires June 3, 2002 L. Daigle, editor
Category: Best Current Practice
draft-iab-pso-appointments-00.txt
January 3, 2002
IETF ICANN Protocol Support Organization Appointments Procedures
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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Abstract
This document specifies the process by which the IETF appoints its 2
representatives to ICANN's Protocol Support Organization's Protocol
Council (PSO-PC). Additionally, the process for selecting candidates
for the PSO's appointments to the ICANN Board of Directors is
specified. This process specification reflects 2 years of IETF
experience with ICANN, the PSO-PC and the PSO organization, since
their inception in 1999.
1.0 Introduction
The ICANN Protocol Support Organization (PSO) is defined by a
Memorandum of Understanding (PSO MoU), [RFC2691], which in turn
defines the structure and requirements of a "Protocol Council" (PSO-
PC) made up of representatives appointed by the PSO MoU signatory
Standards Development Organizations (SDOs). The PSO MoU also
stipulates that the PSO-PC will nominate an ICANN Director each year.
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Two separate selection/appointment roles are discussed here. The
reader is referred to the ICANN By-Laws (available from
http://www.icann.org) and the PSO MoU for the precise definitions of
the support organizations and roles. In short, ICANN has a "Protocol
Support Organization", which is an abstract entity made up of several
signatory standards development organizations. The IETF is one such.
To coordinate the communications and activities of the PSO, the
participating organizations appoint 2 people to the Protocol Council
(PSO-PC), which then acts as the communications nexus between the
participating organizations and ICANN. Section 3 of this memo sets
forth the process for selecting IETF appointees to the PSO-PC.
Separately from that, the PSO, through the PSO-PC, is tasked with
naming 3 members for the ICANN Board of Directors (1 per year, for 3
year terms, staggered). Individual participating organizations (such
as the IETF) can propose candidates for consideration. Section 4 of
this memo sets for the procedure for the selection of potential
candidates for ICANN Board seats.
Therefore, this document specifies the processes by which the IETF
appoints its 2 PSO-PC representatives, and identifies candidates for
consideration for the PSO ICANN Board of Directors appointment.
2.0 Experience -- PSO-PC members and ICANN Board appointments
Two years of experience with the PSO-PC as a functioning entity has
made it clear that the primary role of PSO-PC members is to act as
liaisons from their appointing organization. The PSO-PC itself does
not do technical deliberations or policy-making, beyond the actions
specified in the RFC 2691 and acting as a clearing house for PSO MoU
signatories' combined input and consensus. The PSO-PC currently
undertakes its activities through scheduled teleconferences, and
holds an annual general assembly, normally scheduled in conjunction
with one of the PSO signatories' meetings.
Originally, one of the IETF's PSO-PC appointees was an IAB member,
and the other was not. Subsequently, the latter was selected by the
IETF NomCom to serve on the IAB, which provided the opportunity to
evaluate whether direct communication with the IAB improved the
effectiveness in the PSO-PC role. The conclusion is that it is best
to have established communication links with the IAB/IAB members,
though IAB membership itself is not a requirement.
The role of a member of the ICANN Board of Directors is much the same
as that of any corporation, with the associated statutory
responsibilities. Additionally, the PSO as a whole is expected to
ensure that ICANN has people with strong Internet technical knowledge
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on its Board, and any IETF-proposed candidate should be chosen with
that in mind.
3.0 IETF PSO-PC member appointment process
The primary role of a PSO-PC appointee is to participate in the PSO-
PC interactions with ICANN, as described in the PSO MoU. In acting
as a representative of the IETF's participation in the PSO,
appointees are responsible for liaising with the IAB on technical
matters requiring PSO input, and otherwise keeping the IAB up to date
on the state of the PSO.
As part of its mandate for appointing external liaisons for the IETF
(see [RFC2850]), the IAB is tasked with appointing PSO-PC members for
the IETF.
Normally, the IAB will appoint PSO-PC members for a 2 year term.
Each position is considered for renewal/replacement in April of
alternate years. The IAB may recall/change an appointment at its
discretion.
In accordance with the PSO MoU, the IAB will consider any candidates
proposed as a result of the PSO-PC's/ICANN's call for nominations,
posted concurrently with the posting of notice of the date of the
annual meeting of the PSO General Assembly on the PSO Web Site.
4.0 IETF identification of potential ICANN Board member candidates
The Internet technical community as a whole has a responsibility and
a right to identify qualified candidates for the PSO to nominate to
the ICANN Board of Directors. In its role as a signatory SDO to the
PSO, per the PSO MoU, the IETF may propose one or more candidates for
consideration by the PSO-PC.
There are 2 obvious approaches that could be followed here: 1) the
IAB could consider extending the role of the IESG/IAB Nominating
Committee (NomCom -- [RFC2727]) to research and review candidates
proposed by the IETF community at large; 2) alternatively, this could
be viewed as another "liaison" function for the IETF, to be filled by
the IAB.
In fact, neither approach suits perfectly. A position on the ICANN
Board is not a liaison position; any candidate appointed by the PSO-
PC is to act on behalf of ICANN, not any SDO that may have provided
an original nomination. On the other hand, the NomCom (acting on
behalf of the IETF) would not select the final Board candidate --
merely a potential candidate to be considered by the PSO-PC. The
argument has been made that this is a fruitless duplication of
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scrutiny and a potential distraction of the NomCom's efforts which
should be focused on filling IETF functions.
Therefore, as part of its liaison with the PSO-PC, the IAB will
select zero or more proposed candidates to be considered by the PSO-
PC each year, and will also publicize, within the IETF, the PSO-PC's
public call for nominations (see [RFC2691]), so that any interested
IETF participant may nominate someone, or be nominated, for
consideration by the PSO-PC in its appointment of an ICANN Board
member.
5.0 Security Considerations
As this document deals strictly with appointments processes, it is
not expected to have any impact on network security.
6.0 References
[RFC2691] Bradner, S., "A Memorandum of Understanding for an ICANN
Protocol Support Organization", RFC 2691, September
1999.
[RFC2727] Galvin, J., "IAB and IESG Selection, Confirmation, and
Recall Process: Operation of the Nominating and Recall
Committees", RFC 2727, February 2000.
[RFC2850] IAB, B. Carpenter (ed), "Charter of the Internet
Architecture Board (IAB)", RFC 2850, May 2000.
8.0 Authors' Addresses
Internet Architecture Board
EMail: iab@iab.org
Membership at time this document was completed:
Harald Alvestrand
Ran Atkinson
Rob Austein
Fred Baker
Brian Carpenter
Steve Bellovin
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Jon Crowcroft
Leslie Daigle
Steve Deering
Sally Floyd
Geoff Huston
John Klensin
Henning Schulzrinne
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