Lee,
Not exactelly. Specifically for something to be an IETF "Standard" it has to
have multiple independent working interoperating implementations. It usually
takes about a year to go from first publication as an RFC to actual standard
status (minimum).
The rough consensus on the mail list is always a good idea however,
especially for any RFC that is the creation of a working group.
It occurs to me however that consultation with our area directors might be a
good idea in terms of getting moving on these document charset issues. They
often have a good sense of how the IESG will react to documents that are
sent to them.
Alex Hopmann
ResNova Software, Inc.
hopmann@holonet.net