[Community-Discuss] NRS Accountability and Transparency (was: Re: Call for a Special General Member’s Meeting)

[John Curran]

On 3 Jun 2022, at 5:57 AM, Paul Hjul <hjul.paul at gmail.com<mailto:hjul.paul at gmail.com>> wrote:

Hi all,

A petition has reached critical mass to call an SGMM, hopefully the Board won't play pokey on this one.

Dear Members,

For your information, the members who signed the petitions have already discussed and thereafter informed the Board to call for the Special General Member’s Meeting as it is representing not less than 5% of the Resource Members as required by the bylaws. All related documents that were shared herein are sent to the Board and Chair as well for their reference and review.

Please see the attached link below for the content of the petition ;
https://www.nrs.help/petition

Regards,
Paul Hjul
Member

Paul -

As this petition appears to be organized by the “Number Resource Society” (NRS) – a body which purports to hold core beliefs and values that include an Internet "that relies on a global free market and enterprise with excellent transparency and accountability” – and further appears (if I understand the associated video on the NRS website promoting the petition) to be claiming the petition is necessary to improve accountability and transparency of the RIR system, it would probably be good if the NRS itself would provide a modicum of transparency in this process.

To this end, could you explain the Governing Body and procedures of the NRS?   I note that NRS Membership "Terms and Conditions” <https://www.nrs.help/terms-conditions> notes that admission is not open to all, but is subject to "acceptance of the Admission Committee”, but can find no reference to the process for seating or present composition of said Committee.

From the Terms and Conditions it is also clear that the obligations of membership bind one to acting & voting "in line with the objective, mission, guide, instructions, and/or  mandate of NRS and which include but are not limited to policy internet making and/or voting in line with the  objectives of NRS with regard to freedom in accessing internet, internet stability, fair distribution of internet.”, but it is less so who exactly in the NRS make the determination of what particular votes (whether policy or election) would be in compliance with the “objective, mission, guide, instructions, and/or  mandate of NRS” – this appears to be very important for one to have before signing away the ability to make independent judgement in such matters.

It is strange that the NRS "shall have the absolute discretion to terminate the membership of a Member at any time with prior notice to the member without assigning any reason.” – there seems to be a lack of due process here, and hence the governance provisions of the NRS would seem woefully lacking for a body that intends aid community representation.

If you could elaborate on the above issues, that might allow others to understand how a body that purports to want to improve accountability can do so while lacking in community accountability itself.   It is possible that I misunderstand its governance structures, so any insight that you (or others at the NRS) can provide might clarify things a bit…   as it is, the NRS operates rather opaquely despite its purported lofty goals of excellent transparency and accountability.

Thanks!
/John

John Curran
President and CEO
American Registry for Internet Numbers



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