[RZERC] [Ext] Re: openness and transparency

[Jim Reid]

> On 23 Feb 2017, at 20:38, Wessels, Duane <dwessels at verisign.com> wrote:
> 
> "papers" I assume refers to documents and reports that RZERC would produce.

Yes. Or be given (unless supplied in confidence).

> "mailing list traffic" would mean that the RZERC mailman archives are publicly available.

Yes.

> "transcripts" refers to what exactly?  Is the proposal to have transcripts of our monthly conference calls?  Or is this only for the ICANN meetings where professional stenographers are hired?

No, I suppose we could do that. Though I don't see the need. 

The thinking here is if we ever have transcripts for whatever reason, they'll be made public - presumably after RZERC has reviewed them first and for instance translated Scottish into English or got "route" changed to "root".

> "recordings of meetings" I assume means that our monthly conference calls will be recorded via adobe connect and then made available at some later point?

Yes.

>  Does someone have to review the audio?

No. It's a complete recording. I think the audio would only need to be reviewed if someone thinks a recording was doctored in some way or contradicted the minutes.

> Meeting minutes are generally approved at the following meeting.  Would it be the same for the recordings?

It could just be as simple as deciding the minutes (which implicitly include any audio recording or transcripts) are approved at the next meeting. That approval would authorise ICANN support staff to put the files on the web site.

There would probably be no reason for RZERC to listen to the audio first. Or plough through any written transcript. Though if an RZERC member wants to do that and raise an objection/correction/clarification before approval time comes around, they'd of course be welcome to do so.

>  Are there other committees that do this?

AFAIK what's been proposed is identical to what other ICANN committees and SOs (and board?) do already.

> The last sentence about Executive session I find a little confusing as written.  Is the idea that transcripts/recordings/minutes of executive sessions won't necessarily be made public?

Exactly!

It obviously wouldn't make sense to go into executive session to discuss something sensitive/confidential if the outcome of that session got published. If we did go into ES during a regular conf call, it'll be awkward to keep that stuff out of the routine public record. So those discussions would be best done in a discrete meeting which may or may not include ICANN support staff, depending on the topic. Minutes of an ES would be kept and approved somehow. That'll be implementation detail for the RZERC Chairman.