Governance

Governance

Governance Organizations: Overview

Miners, acting as part of Miner Groups, within the broader Miner Assembly, acting through Miner Councils, constituted legally under the Telcoin Association, possess full power and control over and within Telcoin Platform governance.

Introduction: Telcoin Platform Governance Organizations

The follow section describes the capabilities and responsibilities of the various community-led organizations that operate collectively over, with, and within the Telcoin Platform governance system.

Definition: Governance Organizations

Governance Organizations: Summary

Miners, including Stakers, Developers, Liquidity Miners and Validators, collectively share power and control within the Telcoin Platform governance system, which they exercise as a part of their Miner Groups, within the broader Miner Assembly, acting through Miner Councils, and Constituted, represented, and protected legally by the Telcoin Association.

Telcoin Platform governance includes all of the following organizations:

Miner Groups and the Miner Assembly: Plural Community Interest Groups

Each of the four Telcoin Platform Miners (“Miner Groups”), including Stakers, Developers, Liquidity Miners, and Validators, represent a sub-group of the broader miner community with shared rights and interests in the Telcoin Platform. Each Miner Group represents distinct segments of the larger community, each possessing distinct interests, power, and role in the production and governance of the Telcoin Platform. Collectively, Miner Groups share full power and control over and within the Telcoin Platform governance system.

  • Miner Groups: Stakers, Developers, Liquidity Miners, and Validators each constitute and participate in governance with others in their Miner Group based on their TEL staked in Platform production processes. Each Miner Group is empowered with the authority to elect Council Members onto every Miner Council in order to represent their functionally-distinct interests in every domain of authority on the Telcoin Platform, and possess the capability to protect their rights and interests at the constitutional level of authority in which the terms and conditions of governance are set.
  • Miner Assembly: The four Miner Groups may collaborate to form an Assembly and, in doing so, may alter any aspect of the Telcoin Platform governance system.

    • Miner Councils: Policy-making Organizations

    Governance organizations, made up of elected officials from each Miner Group, that possess authority to set, enforce, and refine the operational rules for interacting with their jurisdiction and are required to perform duties towards providing and allocating collective goods within their domain of the Telcoin Platform and its governance system.

  • Miner Councils: A diverse set of global, local, cross-jurisdictional governance organizations, made up of elected officials (”Council Members”) from each Miner Group, who represent their constituents' interests in collective-choice processes that determine and enforce operational rules over specific jurisdictional domains of the Telcoin Platform and governance system.
    • Global Councils: Platform Council, Treasury Council
    • Local Councils: TAN Council, TELx Council
    • Special-purpose, Cross-jurisdictional Councils: Compliance Council

    • Telcoin Association: Legal Organizations

    Entities with legal personhood that serve a function within Telcoin governance.

  • Telcoin Association: The Telcoin Association, a Swiss Verein domiciled in the Canton of Ticino in the City of Lugano, Switzerland, is the legal entity which enables and protects miners coming together to run the Telcoin Platform, legitimizes the community’s rights to organize and create, enforce their own rules for interacting with the Platform and each other with legal recognition and basis.

    • The TAO and others: Administration and Production units

    Organizations that perform specialized, operational functions at the financing and direction of the Telcoin Association.

  • Telcoin Association Operations UAB (TAO): The TAO is the operational arm for the Telcoin Association. The TAO’s purpose is to be a special-purpose, multi-functional producer and administrator of collective goods and services on behalf of the Telcoin Association.

    • Telcoin Governance Organizations: Overview

    Miner Groups

    Overview

    Stakers, Developers, Liquidity Miners, and Validators are the constituent interest groups or “Miner Groups” that vote as units to represent their distinct, functional interests, and, collectively, share full power and control over, with, and within the Telcoin Platform Governance System, including:

    Collective-choice authority

  • Council Member Selection: Each Miner Group may select representatives to every Miner Council in annual election and on-going, liquid delegation ceremonies.
  • Nomination and Participation: Individual miners may nominate themselves to be selected by their Miner Group and participate in Council Member positions.

    • Constitutional-choice authority

  • Telcoin Representative Improvement Proposal (TRIP): Miner Groups may vote to alter their representatives’ special duties autonomous of other groups.

    • Miner Councils: Provisioning Units

    Miner Councils are collective-choice provisioning units who create rules that serve to provide for (plan and finance) improvements to the Telcoin Platform system, allocate TEL issuance to be harvested, and regulate any number of operational activities within their jurisdictional domain.

    Separating Provisioning and Production

    Logically, politically, legally separate from “administration and production units,” such as the Telcoin Association Operations UAB (TAO) or any third-party who “constructs and/or maintains the system”, Miner Councils, through collective-choice improvement processes (e.g. TELIP), specify, finance, pay and coordinate with production units, who then maintain and construct improvements to the system at their direction and on their behalf.

    Global Councils

    Platform Council (8 members: balanced representation)

  • Description: Global, general-purpose governance organization with authority over and duties towards platform-wide systems and policies and, in cooperation with the Treasury Council, the TEL Treasury and token contract, governance infrastructure, Telcoin Network, and may alter the Telcoin Association Constitution.

    • Decision-making Processes, Authority and Duties

  • Telcoin Improvement Proposal (TIP): Accepts, develops, and votes on TIP proposals to determine system or platform-wide policies including maintenance, construction, communication, information, conflict resolution, compliance, and other general-purpose policies and associated improvements.
    • TIP: Decision-making Rules

        Approval: 6/8

        Quorum: 100%

        Duration: 5 days

  • TEL Improvement Proposal (TELIP): Accepts develops, votes, and submits TELIP proposals to the Treasury Council to determine rules for the allocation, distribution of the TEL Treasury, the TEL token and redemption contracts, governance infrastructure, the Telcoin Association Constitution, and Telcoin Network rules and system improvements after the network goes live with 10 authorized Validators.
  • TELIP: Decision-making Rules
  • Platform Council votes
    • Approval: 6/8
    • Quorum: 100%
    • Duration: 5 days
  • Treasury Council votes
    • Approval: 4/4
    • Quorum: 100%
    • Duration: 3 days
  • Governance Channel: https://snapshot.org/#/telcoinplatformcouncil.eth

    • Learn more about the Platform Council here:

    Platform Council

     

    Treasury Council (4 members: balanced representation)

  • Description: Global governance organization with shared authority and duties towards voting for proposals involving the TEL Treasury and TEL token contract, governance infrastructure, and Telcoin Network.

    • Decision-making Processes, Authority and Duties

  • TEL Improvement Proposal (TELIP): Votes on TELIP proposals that regulate the primary TEL inventory and source of issuance, the TEL Treasury, including issuance, grants, other discretionary policies related to the Treasury and its inventory, the TEL token and redemption contracts, governance infrastructure, and Telcoin Network rules and system improvements after the network goes live with 10 authorized validators. Proposals must first be approved by the Platform Council before they can be voted on by the Treasury Council.
  • TELIP: Decision-making Rules
  • Platform Council votes
    • Approval: 6/8
    • Quorum: 100%
    • Duration: 5 days
  • Treasury Council votes
    • Approval: 4/4
    • Quorum: 100%
    • Duration: 3 days
  • Governance Channel: https://snapshot.org/#/telcointreasurycouncil.eth

    • Learn more about the Treasury Council here:

    Treasury Council

    Local Councils

    TAN Council (6 members: Stakers and Developers each select 2 representatives; Liquidity Miners and Validators each select 1 representative)

  • Description: Local Telcoin Application Network (TAN) governance organization with authority over and duties toward TAN operational rules, system health, and social well-being.

    • Decision-making Processes, Authority, and Duties

  • TAN Improvement Proposal (TANIP): Accepts, develops and votes on proposals to change or introduce new elements to the Telcoin Application Network, alter TAN harvesting rules, and is responsible for generally representing the interests of and informing their constituency in matters pertaining to the Telcoin Application Network.
    • TANIP: Decision-making Rules

        Approval: 5/6

        Quorum: 100%

        Duration: 5 days

  • Governance Channel: https://snapshot.org/#/telcointancouncil.eth

    • Learn more about the TAN Council here:

    TAN Council

     

    TELx Council (6 members: Liquidity Miners select 3 representatives; Developers, Stakers, and Validators each select 1 representative)

  • Description: Local TELx governance organization with authority over and duties towards TELx operational rules, system health and social well-being.

    • Decision-making Processes, Authority and Duties

  • TELx Improvement Proposal (TELxIP): Accepts, develops and votes on proposals to change or introduce new elements to the TELx, to alterTELx harvesting rules, and is responsible for generally representing the interests of and informing their constituency in matters pertaining to TELx.
  • TELxIP: Decision-making Rules
    • Approval: 5/6
    • Quorum: 100%
    • Duration: 5 days
  • Governance Channel: https://snapshot.org/#/telxcouncil.eth

    • Learn more about the TELx Council here:

    TELx Council

    Special-purpose, Cross-jurisdictional Councils

    Compliance Council (4 members: balanced representation)

  • Description: Special-purpose governance organization that cooperates with Councils to ensure proposals are compliant; verifies, authorizes participants into miner and Council Member positions; monitors and sanctions Council Members who breach rules, has veto authority over all proposals for any applicable legal compliance; mediates disputes that may arise within or between ecosystem participants; represents the interests of the Telcoin Platform in any legal and organizational circumstance; actively supports positive legislation on behalf of the Telcoin Platform.

    • Decision-making Processes, Authority and Duties

  • Compliance Council Improvement Proposal (CCIP): Possesses veto authority over all proposals for any applicable legal or Association compliance, the authority to authorize prospective participants into positions, to develop conflict resolution and authorizations procedures.
  • CCIP: Decision-making Rules
    • Approval Rate: 3/4
    • Quorum: 75%
    • Duration: 72 hours to submit and veto an affirmed proposal.
  • Governance Channel: https://snapshot.org/#/telcoincompliancecouncil.eth

    • Learn more about the Compliance Council here:

    Compliance Council

    The Telcoin Association

    Overview

    The Telcoin Association, a Swiss Verein domiciled in the Canton of Ticino in the City of Lugano, Switzerland, is the legal entity which enables and protects miners coming together to run the Telcoin Platform, legitimizes the community’s rights to organize and create, enforce their own rules for interacting with the Platform and each other with legal recognition and basis. The Verein is an Association of persons and/or entities coming together to facilitate a business or activity. It has minimal requirements as to formality, which allows for flexibility as the community evolves, but also provides necessary formality and legal status so that other persons will be able to interact with it and its limited liability structure enforced. An association business model has been around for a very long time and many international businesses use this for their operations. Switzerland’s Verein structure is well supported and recognized throughout the world. It is particularly well-suited for the varied needs of a decentralized organization and its participants.

  • Entity Type: A non-profit Swiss Verein, which is an association of persons and/or entities.
  • Domicile: The Canton of Ticino in the City of Lugano, Switzerland

    • Objectives: To wrap Telcoin governance in a legal association structure and empower the community of Telcoin Miners with:

  • Legal recognition: Legal recognition of rights to organize, determine and enforce their own rules for interacting with the Telcoin Platform and each other.
  • Legal Person Status: The ability to interact and do business with others,.e.g. enter into legal contracts, as a single legally recognized entity instead of as a group of individuals.
  • Tax clarity: A means for Council Members and other involved actors to file and pay taxes properly.
  • Limited-liability protection: Since the Verein is a separate legal person and recognized as such by governments and courts, any liability is attributed to the legal entity and this “corporate veil” is very difficult to pierce by claimants. This provides great protection to participants from any liability in taking actions on behalf of the Verein or from liability encountered by the Verein as a whole.
  • Legal Protection: Legal standing for Council Members to represent the interests of miners before administrative or judicial proceedings. Furthermore, the Verein itself, and those authorized to act on its behalf, are entitled to attorney-client privileges in any legal action.
  • Information-sharing mechanisms: A global forum to discuss mutual problems, expand the level of knowledge about alternative techniques for sustainable management, and investigate a variety of methods for solving shared problems through legal and political means.
  • Purpose: Scientific, the sustainable development of the Telcoin Platform and governance regime in accordance with its non-profit goals.
  • Constitution: Untitled
  • Ratification: TEL users will ratify the Constitution when they vote positively for Telcoin Governance Improvement Proposal number 1 (TGIP1).

    • Learn more about the Telcoin Association here:

    Administration and Production Units

    Miner Councils are “providers” of improvements. On the other hand, administration and production units are financed, authorized, and directed by Miner Councils and the Miner Assembly to construct, maintain and administer improvements on behalf of and at the direction of the Telcoin Association. Unlike Miner Groups, the Assembly, and Councils, who make rules, administration and production units implement and enforce rules that are made by the Telcoin Association.

    Telcoin Association Operations UAB (TAO)

    (5 members: Telcoin Holdings Pte. Ltd. selects all members in the first term)

  • Overview: The TAO is a corporation that is financed by, and authorized to facilitate, construct, maintain, coordinate, and otherwise administrate a variety of collective goods and services on behalf of the Telcoin Association of Miners and Miner Councils.
  • Purpose: The purpose of the Telcoin Association Operations UAB (TAO) is to be a special-purpose producer and administrator of collective goods and services on behalf and at the direction and financing of the Telcoin Association.
  • Organization Type: Special-purpose, multi-functional production and administration unit.
  • Duties: On behalf of the association, The TAO
    • Governance: Facilitates governance activities,
    • Agency, Coordination: Contracts and coordinates with third parties to implement proposals and maintain existing systems,
    • Development: Produces and maintains code including the initial development of Telcoin Network and the ongoing maintenance of various other network components as directed by the Association,
    • Administration: Takes on administrative and compliance tasks on behalf of the Association, and
    • Ecosystem Development: Drives ecosystem development internal and external within and to the association.
  • Learn more about the TAO here: Telcoin Association Operations UAB (TAO)