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THIS IS A DRAFT POLICY AND IS NOT YET IN FORCE. IT IS EXPECTED THAT
CHANGES WILL NEED TO BE MADE PRIOR TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION. PLEASE POST
ANY COMMENTS OR OBSERVATIONS YOU MAY HAVE IN THE RANET ECHO, RA_COORD.
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RANet Worldwide Policy
*** General Operation and Procedures ***
Version 4.01 August, 1993
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1 General
1.0 RANet Defined
RANet is defined by the RANet nodelist issued weekly by the
International Coordinator.
1.1 Compliance with Laws
All RANet systems will comply with all applicable laws of the locality
in which those systems operate. These laws include but are not limited to
laws governing the activities of computer users and/or networks, copyright
laws, libel laws, sedition laws, and laws protecting individual civil rights.
Utilizing RANet position or RANet structure in the commission of a
crime will be grounds for immediate removal from RANet position and
immediate excommunication from RANet.
1.2 Goals of RANet
RANet exists for the primary purpose of expanding and enhancing the
use and enjoyment of the RemoteAccess BBS software produced by Andrew
Milner and Continental Software. RANet seeks to foster the development of
computer software and hardware technology for the RemoteAccess environment
and the benefit of its sysops.
More specifically, RANet exists in order to provide electronic mail
and file transfer services for the members of RANet. To that end, smooth
operation of the technical aspects of amateur computer networking shall be
the primary goal in the policies and practices of RANet.
1.3 Individual Rights In RANet
RANet exists to serve its members. Therefore, no portion of RANet
policy shall be construed to grant one individual any power over another
except to prevent harm to other individuals and to ensure smooth operation of
the network as a whole.
No portion of RANet policy shall be construed as limiting the right of
an individual to hold or express a given opinion on any issue. RANet
policy may only regulate the MANNER of such expression to prevent illegal
exposure of adult or sensitive material and to prevent publicly insulting
behavior.
1.4 Geography WithIn RANet
RANet organizational topography is based on a geographic system
intended to facilitate local phone access areas. Reasonable exceptions to
the geographic structure may be granted by the appropriate Region Coordinator
subject to review by the International Coordinator.
Possible reasons for exceptions to the geographic system are special
phone access, non-standard telephone area structure, or sysop desire for
long-distance network membership so long as such access does not place an
unreasonable or involuntary financial burden on other systems.
In general, geographic exemptions should be granted so long as the
Network Coordinator of the network being joined has no objections. Sysops
requesting a geographic exemption may be required to pay all costs of such
access to prevent financial burden on the receiving network.
2.0 General RANet Terms
2.1 Network
A network is a collection of individual RANet nodes. Geography of a
network is usually defined by an area of local telephone calling. A network
is administered by a Network Coordinator (NC).
2.2 Region
A region is a collection of networks and geographically isolated nodes.
Geography of a region is defined by the appropriate Zone Coordinator and
should be designed to facilitate the formation of local-calling-area networks
and to minimize the costs of inter-network mail transfers. A region is
administered by a Regional Coordinator.
2.3 Zone
A zone is a collection of two or more regions. Geography of a zone is
defined by the International Coordinator and may contain one or more
countries and/or continents. A zone is administered by a Zone Coordinator.
3.0 Local Policies in RANet
The primary administrative unit in RANet is the network. The NC may
formulate any local policy for his/her network which, in the judgement of the
IC, does not adversely affect the rest of the network (such as by interfering
with or "overwriting" the Zone Mail Hour with local mail hours). Local
policies may not circumvent the democratic selection of NCs and they may not
limit the individual rights of RANet members.
4.0 Getting a RANet Node Number
4.1 FTSC-001 Standards
The first step to gaining a RANet node number is to set up a system
which will be compatible with the rest of RANet. Basic technical
standards for RANet, as per any other FidoNet Technology Network (FTN),
are contained in the FTSC-001 document, available from the IC and many
coordinator systems. Most coordinators can also recommend several
software packages which conform to FTSC-001 standards.
4.2 Contact the NC
Upon setting up an FTSC-001-compatible system, the potential RANet
member should obtain a RANet nodelist and contact the local NC. If there
is no local network, the potential member should contact the RC for the
region he/she is located in.
The system requesting a node should send a netmail message to the
appropriate coordinator to prove ability to send FTSC-001 mail. The
message should contain:
BBS Name
Sysop Name
BBS phone number
Baud Rate and type of Modem
Location of BBS (City and State)
Software being run
Whether the BBS is 24-hour FTSC-001 capable or part-time (mail hour only)
Sysop Voice-line phone number
This will enable the coordinator to expedite the process of inclusion
into RANet.
4.3 NC Response
After approving the application, the NC will send the member his/her
node number by netmail to prove that system's capability to receive RANet
mail. The NC should also include a copy of the newest nodelist and a copy of
RANet Policy and any local policies.
The new member should make a point to become familiar with the policies
which govern his/her operation.
Upon confirmation by the new member of receipt of the node number (by
netmail) the NC will include the node in the next nodelist update.
4.4 Judgement of the NC
The NC shall have the authority to determine the suitability of all
prospective members of his/her net. For example, previously excommunicated
nodes will often be unacceptable for membership.
No prospective node shall be denied RANet membership unless there is
documented evidence of unsuitability. Denied requests and the reasons for
denial must be made public to the membership of the local network.
5.0 Behavior Requirements
5.1 Illegal Activity
As stated previously, all RANet systems must abide by all applicable
laws of their locality. (See section entitled "Compliance with Laws")
5.2 Commercial Activity
Commercial mail, defined as company-internal mail, inter-corporate mail,
specific product inquiries (such as price quotes), orders and their follow-
ups, and other mail specifically related to a business, will not be host-
routed through the RANet network.
5.3 Encryption
Encryption of gated or host-routed netmail is forbidden. Encryption of
non-routed mail is allowable so long as both parties consent to the
encryption.
For security purposes, messages produced by election software may be
encrypted without violating RANet policy.
5.4 Mail Hours
RANet systems must be capable of FTSC-001 operation at specified hours
of the day known as mail hours. Every system shall be required to observe a
Zone Mail Hour defined by the Zone Coordinator for that zone. Further, NCs
may create and enforce local mail hours to accommodate local conditions. In
no case shall a RANet system be required to observe more than three daily
mail hours.
5.5 Voting and Election Honesty
All sysops within RANet, regardless of position, are expected to
maintain honest behavior in RANet elections at any level. Dishonest
election behavior shall be defined as attempting to create false or
misleading ballots, intentionally miscalculating election results, falsely
reporting election results, authoring, designing, or using software intended
to invalidate or falsify election results, or in any other way attempting to
interfere with, invalidate, overload, of falsify an election. Committing,
attempting, or even threatening dishonest election behavior will be grounds
for IMMEDIATE and PERMANENT excommunication from RANet.
5.6 Excessively Annoying
Members of RANet should seek to prevent interpersonal disputes.
Generally, this breaks down into two rules:
1) Don't excessively annoy others.
2) Don't become excessively annoyed.
When a problem escalates to the point that a formal complaint is filed,
each side is likely guilty of a violation of one of the above rules.
Therefore, in RANet, resolution of problems should be the intent of all
parties rather than retribution.
6.0 Coordinators
6.1 The Network Coordinator (NC)
6.1.1 Selection
The NC is elected by a majority of the nodes within the network which
vote in an NC Election. NCs shall serve a three-year term. There is no
limit on the consecutive or total number of terms the same individual may
serve as NC. NCs elections shall be staggered as defined in the section
entitled "Implementation of Policy5".
6.1.2 Responsibilities of the NC
The NC shall be responsible for the operation of his/her network. The
NC shall assign node numbers to new nodes, monitor those nodes to ensure
compliance with mail hours, and create and forward nodelist updates upward
for their network in accordance with the policy of the International
Coordinator.
The NC shall have the authority to create local policies for his/her
network so long as those local policies do not, in the judgement of the
International Coordinator, adversely affect others in RANet and so long as
those policies are in compliance with the section entitled "Local Policies in
RANet."
The NC shall have the authority to enforce RANet and local policy
within his/her network. The NC shall have authority over all policy
complaint filed against members in his/her network.
The NC shall be responsible to distribute nodelist updates (nodediffs),
FidoNews, and Policy statements (RANet and local) to the members in his/her
net. As a minimum, these files should be made available on the NC's system
for download and file request. The NC may appoint and administer an
administrative hub system to facilitate delivery of RANet files.
The NC shall be responsible to act as a host for routed mail for his/her
network. He/She may utilize an administrative hub system to assist him/her
in the routing of mail.
6.1.3 Accountability
The NC shall be accountable for the operation of his/her network insofar
as it affects the rest of RANet to the International Coordinator. The NC
may be removed by the IC for documented and repeated violations of RANet
policy, and for documented and repeated failure to fulfill NC
responsibilities. If the IC feels it necessary to remove an NC, he/she must
make the documentation of the charges available to RANet as a whole. The
IC may, at that time, require the net to elect a new NC.
The NC is also accountable to the nodes which elected him/her. In
extreme cases, the NC may be subject to recall procedures as outlined in the
section entitled "Election Procedures."
6.2 Regional Coordinator (RC)
6.2.1 Selection
The RC is appointed by the IC for a three-year term. There is no limit
to the consecutive or total number of terms an individual may serve as RC.
The IC should take recommendations for the RC position from the NCs and the
independent nodes in the region.
6.2.2 Responsibilities
The RC shall have the responsibility to act as an NC, will all the
duties and authorities thereof, for the independent nodes within a region.
The RC shall have the duty to act as a host for routed mail to and from
the networks and independent nodes within his/her region.
The RC shall have the duty to collect all nodelist updates from the NCs
in his/her region, process them, and forward them, unchanged, upward for
further processing.
The RC shall make decisions on requests for geographic exemptions within
his/her region in accordance with the section entitled "Geography within
RANet". In general, the RC should attempt to accommodate the wishes of the
requesting node so long as the NC receiving the node has no objections.
The RC shall encourage the formation of new networks within his/her
region and shall assign network numbers to these networks upon formation.
6.2.3 Accountability
The RC is accountable to the ZC for the operation of the region and for
the performance of his/her duties. The ZC may remove an RC at any time and
appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term.
6.3 Zone Coordinator (ZC)
6.3.1 Selection
The IC may, when desirable, appoint a ZC for a zone to serve a three-
year term. Generally, the IC may easily act as the ZC for the zone in which
he/she resides. There is no limit on the number of terms an individual may
act as a ZC either consecutively or in total.
6.3.2 Responsibilities
The ZC shall be responsible to collect nodelist updates from the regions
in his/her zone, process them, and forward them, unchanged, to the IC for
final processing and creation of the RANet nodediff.
The ZC shall be responsible, upon request, to create and administer
zone-gates to and from other RANet zones and other networks as they exist
in his/her zone.
When necessary, the ZC may create and define a new region in his/her
zone in order to facilitate network formation and local-calling access. The
ZC may appoint an RC for new regions subject to review by the IC.
The ZC shall be responsible to establish a Zone Mail Hour for his/her
zone. This mail hour will be mandatory for all RANet systems within that
zone.
6.3.3 Accountability
The ZC is accountable to the IC for the operation of the Zone and for
the performance of his/her duties. The IC may remove an ZC at any time and
appoint a replacement for the remainder of the term.
6.4 International Coordinator
6.4.1 Selection
The IC is elected by a majority vote of the NCs in RANet. The IC
shall serve a three-year term. There is no limit on the number of terms an
individual may serve as IC either in total or consecutively. IC elections
shall be timed in accordance with the section entitled "Implementation of
Policy".
6.4.2 Responsibilities
The IC is responsible to oversee and administer RANet as a whole.
The IC is responsible for the proper collection of nodelist updates by
or from the ZCs and/or RCs, the processing of those updates, and the
release of the resulting nodediff to the coordinator structure for
distribution downward to the individual members.
The IC shall appoint ZCs for each Zone in RANet. If a ZC does not
exist for a RANet zone, the IC shall perform the ZC duties for that zone.
The IC shall act as an appeal point for Policy disputes ONLY when such
disputes affect RANet as a whole. Such appeals shall be handled in
accordance with "Resolution of Disputes".
The IC may create, define, and appoint coordinators for new zones and
regions within RANet.
The IC shall monitor the activities of the *C structure within RANet.
The IC shall have the authority to remove any member of the *C
structure for documented and repeated violations of policy or for
documented and repeated failure to properly perform the assigned duties.
In such a case, the documentation must be made public by announcement
and/or file request. The IC may then require the network to elect a
replacement.
6.4.3 Accountability
The IC shall be accountable for the operation of RANet as a whole.
The IC is accountable to the NCs which elected him/her. In extreme
cases, the IC may be subject to recall procedures as outlined in the
section entitled "Election Procedures."
6.5 Policy Coordinator (PC)
6.5.1 Selection
The Policy Coordinator shall be appointed by the IC for a three-year
term. There is no limit on the number of terms an individual may serve as PC
either in total or consecutively.
6.5.2 Responsibilities
The PC shall be responsible to monitor referendum attempts and, when
appropriate, place referendums on RANet ballots.
The PC shall administer Referendum Elections in accordance with
"Election Procedures."
The PC shall be responsible to integrate approved amendments into
RANet policy and release new policy versions to RANet. The PC shall
ensure that Policy is consistent with itself and with the letter and intent
of all approved amendments.
6.5.3 Accountability
The PC is accountable to the IC for the performance of PC duties. The
IC may remove the PC at any time and appoint a replacement for the remainder
of the term.
7.0 Resolution of Disputes
7.1 Excessively Annoying vs Becoming Excessively Annoyed
Although RANet's purposes are technical in nature (distribution of
mail, etc) there is a good deal of personal interaction involved. Given the
nature of interpersonal communication, it is likely that there will always be
a certain number of personality conflicts. Generally, RANet policy seeks
only to prevent personality conflicts from affecting the operation of the
network. This philosophy is based in two essential rules:
1) Don't excessively annoy others.
2) Don't become excessively annoyed.
Members should avoid attacking others. Further, if RANet members find
themselves the victims of attack(s), the general policy should be to ignore
the attack(s). Personal conflicts should be "water off of a duck's back" and
should be kept private when they persist.
In the event of a Policy complaint on "excessively annoying" grounds,
BOTH sides will likely be guilty of a violation of at least one of the two
major rules. In that case, the behavior of BOTH sides shall be suspect and
measures may be taken against BOTH offenders, regardless of the source of the
Policy complaint.
7.2 Filing of Complaints
Any policy complaint, whether on technical or "excessively annoying"
grounds, should be filed with the NC of the offending node. Such a complaint
must include documentation of SPECIFIC and REPEATED violation of RANet
policy. The NC shall have the power to resolve the situation using any
measures he/she sees fit. In short, the NC and ONLY the NC shall have the
power to take RANet sanctions against offending nodes in his/her net,
unless otherwise provided upon appeal.
If the NC receives a policy complaint where he/she determines that the
filer may also be at fault, the NC should forward a copy of the complaint and
documentation to the NC of the individual which filed the original complaint.
All Policy complaints and their documentation shall be made available by
the NC they are filed with for public file request.
7.3 Appeal
Under serious circumstances, an NC decision MAY be appealed directly to
the IC. The individual appealing MUST show that the NC decision has caused
or will cause harm OUTSIDE of that NC's net upon filing appeal. If the
decision is a local matter with no effect on the rest of RANet, it will be
dealt with within that net and should NOT be appealed.
The IC shall evaluate such appeals and enclosed documentation. If the
NC decision does not, in the opinion of the IC, adversely affect RANet as a
whole, the complaint shall be dismissed out of hand. If the NC decision has
or will adversely affect RANet, the IC may overturn the NC decision.
Additionally, the IC MAY, if necessary, take action against the NC for any
Policy violations.
7.4 Goals in Resolution of Disputes
Excommunication from RANet, while a valid action in serious cases, should
be avoided if at all possible. Excommunication MUST be reserved for REPEATED,
DOCUMENTED and SPECIFIC violations. Minor violations, accidents, and non-
repetitive problems should be dealt with utilizing warnings, admonishments,
technical assistance, and friendly advice. Repair of difficulties rather
than retributive action should be the goal in the resolution of RANet
disputes.
8.0 Echomail and File Echos
Echomail and File Echos within RANet are "owned" by RANet, and as
such, are governed by RANet Echomail and File Echo Policy. RANet addresses
must be used in the distribution of RANet echomail and File Echos and they
must not be gated to other FTNs without the express permission of the IC.
Echo rules imposed by any moderator of an RANet echo must comply with the
terms and conditions of current RANet policy[s].
Activities in echomail should not adversly affect the operation of
RANet. RANet members will not be subject to RANet disciplinary actions for
statements made or actions taken within echomail conferences unless such
activities ALSO constitute a violation of RANet policy.
For example, an individual may be subject to cutoff from echomail or
file echo feed by the echomail/file echo structure for "flaming" in
echomail, or cross-feeding a file echo, but that individual may not
necessarily be excommunicated from RANet for that action alone.
However, an individual posting credit card numbers in echomail, for
example, will also be in violation of the RANet Policy entitled "Compliance
with Laws", therefore they may be subject to excommunication or other RANet
sanction. Similarly, due to the high cost of file echo importation,
repeated warnings intended to prevent file duplication, which go unheaded,
will be resolved by cut-off and may result in excommunication after a
failed probationary period.
9.0 Election Operations
9.1 Election Officer (EO)
Each NC shall appoint an Net Election Officer (NEO) to administer
elections within their net. The IC shall appoint an International Election
Officer (IEO) to administer RANet-wide elections. Election Officers shall
be accountable to the position which appointed them for the performance of
their duties. Election Officers shall NOT be subject to sanctions or
harassment for actions taken in accordance with their duties.
9.2 Politization Restriction
No Election Officer shall be eligible to run for, serve in, or be
appointed to an elected position for at least one year following his/her
departure from an Election Officer position. There is no limit on the number
of terms an individual may serve as an EO either in total or consecutively.
9.3 Administration of Elections
The EO may establish any secure method for the administration of
elections. Such methods may include netmail voting, encrypted netmail
voting, and voice-line polling.
9.3.1 Elected Position Elections
To administer an election for an elected position, the EO must first
allow time for nominations. He/She must publicly announce the opening of a
position to all node eligible to vote. In such an announcement, the EO must
set a date for the commencement of voting, allowing at least two weeks for
nominations from the date of announcement.
After nominations are over, the EO must commence the balloting process.
Individual ballots must be sent to each system voting (unless voice-line
polling is used). At least two weeks shall be allowed from the date of
ballot release for balloting.
At the termination of balloting, the EO shall tally the votes and
implement any receipting system. The results shall be communicated to the
candidates and made public.
Regardless of method, the EO shall make available at the termination of
voting a list of the nodes and/or individuals that voted. This list shall be
made public by file request setup or posting in a public forum. Nodes which
are listed and which DID NOT vote should notify the appropriate EO as soon as
possible in order to correct the voting results.
<Note: There is a secure software voting package known as "MakeVote".
However, due to US government restrictions on the cipher technique used, this
package may only be legally used within Zone 72. This is the reason for
the vagueness in election administration rules. In general, RANet will
wind up relying on the integrity of the EOs and the NCs and IC regardless
of the method used.>
9.3.2 Recall Elections
If 1/3 of the nodes eligible to vote for an elected position petition
the EO within a three-month period for a recall vote, the EO shall be
required to call a recall election. The EO shall then announce that a recall
election has been called, allowing at least two weeks for this announcement
to circulate. At that time, the EO shall proceed as per a normal elected
position election as specified in local policy and section entitled "Elected
Position Elections".
10.0 Amendment and Replacement of Policy
10.1 Initiation of a Policy Amendment
In order to initiate a Policy Amendment proposal, a member must first
author SPECIFIC a specific proposal including exact wording of the proposed
change to policy. This proposed amendment should be filed with the Policy
Coordinator.
10.2 Petitioning Stage
After initiation, a policy proposal must show a certain degree of
popular support before it can be placed on the ballot. Members supporting
the proposed amendment should send "signature" netmail messages to the Policy
Coordinator system.
When "signatures" are received from 20% of the total number of nodes or
20% of the total number of NCs in RANet, an amendment will be considered
successfully petitioned and will be placed on the yearly amendment ballot.
10.3 Amendment Voting
Each year, on the anniversary of the date of approval of this policy,
RANet shall hold a Amendment Vote. A proposed amendment must be
successfully petitioned at least one month prior to this date in order to
make that year's amendment ballot.
Each net shall hold an election on the proposed amendments in accordance
with local policy. However, rather than reporting a single result, NEOs in
an amendment vote shall forward the raw, numerical results to the RC in their
region. The RC shall then add the results from the nets and his/her
independent nodes together and forward that raw, numerical result to the IEO.
The IEO shall then compile the final result and inform the Policy Coordinator
of the result of the election.
Raw results at the net, region, and international level shall be
publicly announced and shall be made available for public file request.
10.4 Implementation of Approved Amendments
If an amendments are approved, the Policy Coordinator shall have two
months to integrate the amendments into Policy. By the end of that time, the
Policy Coordinator shall have created a new document implementing the letter
and intent of the approved amendments and shall have released that document
for netwide distribution.
11.0 Implementation of This Policy
11.1 Election Staggering
One year from the date of approval of this policy, nets with net numbers
ending in 0, 3, 6, and 9 shall hold NC elections.
Two years from the date of approval of this policy, nets with net
numbers ending in 1, 4 and 7 shall hold NC elections. Further, at this
point, the first election for IC shall be held.
Three years from the date of approval of this policy, nets with net
numbers ending in 2, 5, and 8 shall hold NC elections.
Subsequent elections shall be held in accordance with the term lengths
specified within this Policy.
11.2 Grandfather Clause
All current elected coordinators shall be grandfathered into their
current position upon approval of this policy. No recall elections shall
take place for at least three months after the date of approval of this
policy.
Appointed coordinators may be replaced at the discretion of the
current IC. Serving coordinators shall select appointees for all new
appointed positions.
12.0 Copyright Statement <Temporary -- for development phase ONLY>
This policy statement has been produced by a development group
coordinated by Terence Milbourn. Claim to copyright is waived by all
participants. As such, all RANet *C members may use, reproduce, and
distribute this policy statement and all its subsequent versions for the purpose
of the development of RANet Policy 4.
13.0 Development Rules <Temporary -- for development phase ONLY>
This policy is to undergo development in the RA_COORD echo. RA_COORD
is available to all *C members in RANet -- moderator is Terence Milbourn at
73:7440/22. Feeds are available throughout Zone 72 and Zone 73 and 175.
