On Thu, Sep 8, 2016 at 11:06 PM, Nevin Lyne <nevin@enginehosting.com> wrote:

....
Something like this actually I think helps equality for people/companies like mine where we do not have a need of direct ports on the exchange, but indirectly benefit from the exchange and would like to both support the exchange and have some say (a vote) as a member of the exchange. Currently I can't be a voting member of the exchange unless I have an active port, which I don't need, but we actively donate resources and hardware to the exchange.

-Nevin

-- Nevin Lyne
-- Founder & Director of Technology
-- Arcustech, LLC. - arcustech.com
-- Gippy's Internet Solutions, LLC. - enginehosting.com

I added paying member dues in addition to being attached as a membership requirement for two reasons;

1. It ensures at least some minimal financial contribution by everyone participating in the governance of the exchange.

2. And, by requiring an additional action beyond simply connecting to be a member, organizations that can't or simply don't want to be part of the governance can connect and exchange traffic, without causing issues for themselves or the good governance of the exchange.

If a network that never intends to participate in the governance is counted as part of the membership, that will mess with quorum for meetings.

I very much appreciate your participation and donations and wish there was a good way to give you and others like you a vote in the governance of the exchange. However, requiring a network attached to the exchange for membership provides important protections. It helps prevent hostile or malicious takeovers. If sponsors got a vote simply by donating money, anyone with sufficient money could essentially stuff the ballot box. Less conspiratorial, it helps ensure that those governing the exchange, are tightly bound to the consequences of their decisions, which is usually a good thing from a governance perspective.

If you have suggestions to safely allow broader participation I'd love to hear them.

Thanks.

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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
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