Solana validator organization Layer 33 calls for pausing the removal of delegation program members

on November 10, the independent Solana validator organization Layer 33 issued a public letter calling on the Solana Foundation to halt the weekly phased removal of members from its delegation program pending the completion of community consultations.

Layer 33 noted that the new rules unveiled by the foundation on November 6 set the participation period to 12 months, allow validators to exit the program after securing 300,000 SOL in external staking, and cap participation at 100 members. The organization argued that these regulations may squeeze out experienced independent operators and exacerbate staking centralization.

The open letter also recommends extending at least six months of mainnet delegation support to existing members participating in the Alpenglow community test, and disclosing the rationale behind the participant cap and duration limits.