"RFA" == "Request for Approval".
GDB has a human approval system that goes beyond the CVS permissions.
You can read about it in the top level MAINTAINERS file.
There are three levels of access. 'Blanket Maintainers' have the
authority to commit files anywhere in the gdb tree. Several types
of 'Maintainers' have authority to commit files in their area of
responsibility. 'Write After Approval' maintainers have the authority
to commit their patches if a Blanket Maintainer or a Maintainer approves
them.
Almost. A so-called blanket write maintainer, can not commit without
approval (except where pretty obvious or pre-negotiated) a change to
something that has a more specific maintainer.