# FIP: Opportunity For Another Consensus · farcasterxyz protocol · Discussion #257

Source: https://github.com/farcasterxyz/protocol/discussions/257

## Summary

A hybrid model combining a protocol treasury with optional validator cost-cover fees is proposed as a robust, low-risk alternative. A fixed share of Pro subscriptions, 30% in the example, would fund a treasury distributed monthly to active validators according to the read/write traffic they serve and a cryptographic check that they store all data. Validators could also charge minimal micro-payment fees for complex or high-volume writes, mainly paid by commercial applications or bots, while regular users would pay nothing for normal actions. The proposal claims this would be sustainable, fair, and resistant to capture by a single entity.

## Article

A Concrete and Pragmatic Idea: The Hybrid "Protocol Treasury + Cost-Cover" Model

This would be the most robust and least risky alternative, combining the best of several proposals:

Base Treasury Fund: A fixed percentage (e.g., 30%) of all "Pro" subscriptions is automatically allocated to a common fund (Treasury) for validators.

Distribution Based on Demonstrated Activity: The Treasury is distributed monthly among all active validators in proportion to:

The read/write traffic they served (an objective metric of useful work).

A cryptographic verification that they store all the data (simplified Proof of Useful Storage).

Optional Cost-Cover Fee: Validators can additionally set a minimal technical fee (micro-payment) for processing complex or high-volume write operations. This would primarily be paid by commercial applications or bots, not regular human users.

Advantages of this hybrid model:

Sustainable: Recurring revenue from the treasury + variable revenue from service.

Fair: Validators are rewarded for the actual work they do.

Open: Anyone can become a validator. If they serve useful data to the network, they receive funds.

No friction for the common user: Normal actions (writing casts, reading) have no cost.

Anti-capture: It is difficult for a single entity to control many validators, as each one's performance is measured individually.

## Comments

**timdaub.eth**: Mhh, I liked the Hubble idea of just having a bunch of nodes who can reconcile their data. But apparently it didn‘t working because of rate limiting user data.

What else could be done that doesn‘t resemble a crypto currency consensus?