TIP-074 Bootstrap Operator Agreement Extension

TL;DR: This proposal would extend TIP-045 (TIP-045: Bootstrap Node Proposal v2) for 6 months, introducing no changes for this extension.

Background: As outlined in the proposal (TIP-054), bootstrap nodes are of critical importance to the tBTC network. Currently, three professional providers are hosting 2 bootstrap nodes each. Over the past year, all up-time requirements were met by the chosen providers. TIP-045 passed in January 2023 and is due to be renewed or revised.

The Integrations Guild believes that the best course of action is to temporarily extend the terms of TIP-045 to maintain the current status quo to give dev teams time to complete significant upgrades to the tBTC client. These upgrades are expected to be completed in 6 to 9 months.

Looking Ahead: These major upgrades to the client will retire the beta-staker program, which is an opportunity to reevaluate the bootstrap node agreements and potentially introduce community operated bootstrap nodes, as well as other professional operators.

Proposal: Extend the terms of TIP-045 for 6 months, starting February 2024. Each provider, Boar, P2P, and Staked, will continue to receive $10,000 per month in T. If upgrades to the tBTC client are not completed in 6 months, this proposal may be extended up to two times by an additional 3 months each.