Dear RIPE NCC members, At the RIPE NCC Executive Board Meeting on 24-25 June, we agreed to set up a task force to work on the principles that should apply to the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme. The Board will take the principles and recommendations from the task force into account when proposing a new charging scheme model for members to vote on at a General Meeting. Apart from members from the Executive Board and RIPE NCC staff, we are looking for representatives from our membership. We know some of you are interested in the topic, and we would like to encourage you to volunteer to work on this important task. The composition of the task force will be two RIPE NCC staff members, two Executive Board members and approximately 10 RIPE NCC members. I have included the proposed charter of the task force below. We encourage members from across the service region and of different sizes to volunteer so we can select from a pool that reflects the diverse range of experience, background, organisation type, nationalities and expertise that exists in our membership. We would particularly like to see expertise in finance and knowledge of the Internet market represented on the task force. To volunteer, please fill out the form adding your motivation and submit it no later than 19 July 2024. https://www.ripe.net/participate/forms/apply/ripe-ncc-charging-scheme-task-f... While this is a task force established by the RIPE NCC Executive Board and reporting to the Executive Board, the principles of RIPE 782, RIPE Task Forces: Definition and Guidelines will be followed: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-782/ Best regards, Ondřej Filip RIPE NCC Executive Board Chair ----- Introduction In the course of 2023 and 2024, the RIPE NCC Management and the RIPE NCC Executive Board have put a lot of effort into developing and proposing charging schemes that can sustain the RIPE NCC and meet the needs of its members. In 2023, the Board proposed a category model that was rejected by the membership. In 2024, the Board proposed simpler options that met with objections from a significant number of people. During discussions, many alternative charging proposals were proposed on the members-discuss mailing list. To improve the Charging Scheme process and to get broader input on a future Charging Scheme model, the Executive Board has decided to create a task force that represents different groups within the RIPE NCC organisation and membership. Objectives of the Task Force The Task Force will have the following objectives: - Define the principles of a future Charging Scheme - Propose an improved process for the annual Charging Scheme discussions and adoption The Task Force will not discuss the RIPE NCC Budget or set any actual fees or prices. Participants of the Task Force To have an efficient task force, the group will have to be limited in size. The Executive Board will select key individuals that have put themselves forward, have good understanding of the Charging Scheme and represent a variety of member groups. The group will consist of participants from three groups, namely: - RIPE NCC staff - RIPE NCC Executive Board - RIPE NCC members Timeframe - Several meetings in Q3 and Q4 2024 - Report on progress at the RIPE NCC General Meeting in October 2024 - Send recommendations to the Executive Board when work is completed