Dear colleagues, The next IETF meeting is the first one that is happening under the aegis of the new IETF LLC. Because it is a new phase in the relationship between the IETF and the wider Internet Society [1], it seemed a good time for ISOC staff to have a look at the way we act when participating in IETF meetings. The relationship has always been a little funny, because of the way things were structured. Formally, no ISOC staff except the President (that's me, for now) necessarily has a relationship to the IETF. Historically the President served on the IETF Trust and IAOC; the IAOC ended when IETF LLC took over, and the Trust relationship will wind up when the new Trustees are seated. Today I remain responsible for the selection of the nomcom chair. The Board of Trustees of the Internet Society function as the last step in the IETF appeals chain, but that does not implicate staff. As a practical matter, of course, there is a liaison between the IAB and ISOC that has always been an ISOC staff member, and the Internet Society staff members collaborate more or less formally in lots of ways at the IETF. More importantly, everyone employed by the Internet Society remains committed to the continued health of the IETF: we all know that the best way to ensure the Internet is for everyone is to depend upon open, widely-available standards based on rough consensus and running code. The fact that a large part of the funding of the IETF comes from ISOC, however, and that the IETF's legal existence is (still) inside ISOC, has sometimes led to discomfort about the ways staff operate within the IETF. So last week, we adopted a new internal policy about staff participation in the IETF. I won't post the whole thing here, mostly because it's an HR policy and I don't think it's a good idea to burden the IETF with such details, but it still seems worth highlighting a few things that you might notice from ISOC staff in the near future (because these are changes that will be visible). First, ISOC employees are encouraged to be conservative in what they send, especially at mic lines. Employees will be required to note their employment and to disclaim that they are representing the Internet Society unless they are actually stating a published ISOC position (or announcing a new one). This applies to everyone, including me. Second, ISOC staff are required to get explicit management approval to be listed as authors on any I-D or RFC with their ISOC affiliation in place. If they want to participate outside of that affiliation, they're similarly required to make sure that the responsible AD, WG chairs, and other authors are aware of their employment and still comfortable proceeding. Employees are not allowed to publish anything on the Independent Stream under any circumstances. (The idea here is to ensure that anything that comes from ISOC employees is at least subject to some consensus process.) Third, staff members (including contractors) are discouraged from taking formal roles (such as WG chair), committee participation (such as the EDU team or Ombudsteam), and so on. In the case of WG chairs, they are required to have a formal request from the relevant AD that is renewed each time the responsible AD changes. In the case where a staff member is the best candidate, they are required to find and groom a successor in no more than one year (ideally in less time). We should be here to help build and promote the community, and part of that means standing out of the way in favour of others. We are also not allowed to volunteer for the nomcom and must decline if selected. And, we're not permitted to take nomcom-selected positions under any circumstances. The overall idea is to try to draw a bright line between being employed at the Internet Society, and being part of the formal machinery of the IETF. Staff are still encouraged to read and comment on drafts, to participate actively and constructively in WGs, and so on. There will also be continued collaboration beween ISOC and the IAB. But it seems especially important, while the machinery of the IETF LLC gets running properly, that nobody be confused about the formal role of ISOC in the IETF. The new staff guidelines are intended to ensure there isn't confusion. I think that will help to make sure the new IETF LLC is strong and effective. I hope this is useful information. If you have questions or want to know more, please feel free to ask, and I'll be happy to answer insofar as appropriate for a staff issue. You can always reach me at sullivan@xxxxxxxx, or catch me in the hallway in Prague. Best regards, Andrew [1] I think of the Internet Society as comprising not just the staff and corporate existence of the Internet Society, but all the directly-affiliated groups as well -- the chapters, different kinds of members, SIGs, and so on. Since the IETF LLC is affiliated with ISOC and, while legally distinct, remains part of the Internet Society's corporate structure, I think of the IETF as "part of" the Internet Society too, but in a loose way that is similar to other parts of our community. -- Andrew Sullivan President & CEO, Internet Society sullivan@xxxxxxxx +1 517 885 3587
