I'm not a candidate and will not be a candidate for the Board. However, I propose the following Membership and Sponsorship Model, including both Membership Dues and Sponsorship levels for MICE Members and Non-Member Sponsors. The dollar values are just my suggestions, I think they should work but they are primarily intended to illustrate the model. With this Model, any network may connect to the Exchange, but all networks participating in governance, known as Members, will have some minimal skin-in-the-game. Further, the Model implies Networks with 10G or larger ports probably should participate at a more significant level, but this is not a requirement for access to 10G or larger ports or even to participate in governance. The Friends of MICE Sponsorship level is intended to be accessible to anyone interested, including individual users of the Internet. My proposal; As an Open Internet Exchange any network with a uniquely registered Autonomous System Number (ASN) may connect to MICE. However, Non-Member networks are provided ports on the Exchange on an as-available basis only and Non-Members do not participate in the governance of the Exchange or the MICE Organization, but may observe and participate in its discussions. Networks connected to the Exchange, or Data Centers hosting an Exchange switch, may become Members and participate in the governance of the Exchange and the MICE Organization by paying Membership Dues at either level listed below. Members are provided prefered access to 1G Exchange ports, and are provided access to 10G or larger Exchange ports on an as-available basis. Sustaining or higher Members are committed to sustaining and growing the Exchange by electing to pay Sustaining Membership Dues and/or paying Basic Membership Dues and providing other Sponsorship to the Exchange of a value totaling $1000 or more. In recognition to this additional commitment, Sustaining or higher Members are provided prefered access to 10G or larger Exchange ports. Basic Membership Dues - $100 Sustaining Membership Dues - $1000 (Dues are paid in cash or cash equivalents only, and may not be provided through in-kind services or equipment) Beyond Dues from Members, MICE accepts Sponsorship both from Members and Non-Members Sponsors as cash, cash equivalents, in-kind services or equipment. Sponsorship is recognized at the following escalating levels based on the total value provided annually. Friends of MICE - Sponsorship of $50 ore more annually Sustaining Members or Sponsors - Sponsorship of $1,000 or more annually Silver Members or Sponsors - Sponsorship of $2,500 or more annually Gold Members or Sponsors - Sponsorship of $5,000 or more annually Platinum Members or Sponsors - Sponsorship of $10,000 or more annually Sponsorship of $20,000 or more are recognized with multiple years at the Platinum level. Friends of MICE are list on a page on the MICE website. Sustaining or higher Members are annotated as such in their listings on the MICE website. All Sustaining or higher Members and Sponsors are listed on the MICE website, with higher levels receiving more prominent placement. Silver or higher Members and Sponsors are recognized in MICE marketing materials, with higher levels receiving more prominent placement. Thanks -- =============================================== David Farmer Email:farmer@umn.edu Networking & Telecommunication Services Office of Information Technology University of Minnesota 2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815 Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952 ===============================================