Re: [Rfced-future] [IAB] Welcome to the RFC Editor Future Development Program

[Brian E Carpenter <[e-mail]>]

On 01-Apr-20 13:14, Mark Nottingham wrote:
> [ I'm moving iab@ to bcc:, as most IAB members are already here, and I'm sure they'll appreciate the reduction in duplication. ]
> 
> Hi Brian,
> 
>> On 1 Apr 2020, at 7:09 am, Brian E Carpenter <[e-mail]> wrote:
>>
>>> My preference is 
>>> that we define the job such that it is clearly the RFC Editor's job to 
>>> lead that discussion / process.
>>
>> I very strongly agree with that, but to my mind that requires that we agree
>> on the principle that the RFC Editor is autonomous and the series is not
>> controlled by the IETF or, except at a very abstract level, by the IAB.
> 
> I don't see how that follows. We have plenty of people who lead discussions and processes in this community, and yet they still have oversight, checks and balances. There may be reasons for exempting the RSE from them, but declaring that special status as a presumption seems odd in a program with our scope.

I won't repeat what I said in https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-carpenter-request-for-comments-01.txt, but I will assume you've read it.

Of course, being autonomous shouldn't mean exemption from checks and balances. However, in the case of the RSE (and unlike most of our activities), it really isn't clear which community should implement those checks and balances. And the evidence from the IAOC and the RSOC is that we aren't very good at designing oversight functions. I think that's our biggest challenge.

    Brian