While I don't support the inclusion of hobbiests, if this policy intends to include them, they shouldn't be snuck in through waffly language; If hobbiests are to be included, they should be explicitly included.
On Fri, May 30, 2025 at 1:12 PM Ben Shapiro <[email protected]> wrote: > Thank you David, for the thoughtful revisions and to ARIN staff for > progressing this discussion. > > As someone involved in the operation of a small-to-medium Internet > Exchange Point (IXP), I’d like to offer a complementary perspective from > the interconnection and community network operator ecosystem. > > IXPs—particularly regional, volunteer-run, or lightly incorporated > ones—frequently interface with a range of participants, including small > ISPs, research networks, community fiber projects, and technically capable > individuals who operate networks that meaningfully contribute to regional > interconnection and resiliency. Some of these operators do not have formal > corporate structures, yet they are deeply engaged in the technical and > operational requirements of network management and peering. From our > vantage point, the exclusion of natural persons from eligibility can pose > an artificial barrier that does not align with real-world routing and > interconnection practices. > > While I agree with David that natural persons operating legal businesses > should unquestionably be considered valid organizations, I also see > operational value in supporting natural persons who: > > > - Operate autonomous systems used in peering environments; > - Maintain IPv6 prefixes with global routing visibility; > - Support last-mile, experimental, or community-focused efforts. > > > Such actors are already required to justify their needs under existing > ARIN policies. Adding verification of identity and residency, as the draft > suggests, provides accountability without unduly excluding legitimate > network operators who do not or cannot register as a business. > > From the IXP perspective, clarity is important. I support revising the > policy language to explicitly differentiate: > > > 1. Hobbyists with no operational network or intent to participate in > global routing (not eligible), > 2. Natural persons operating a routable, justified network (eligible), > and > 3. Natural persons operating a legal business (clearly eligible). > > > A possible refinement might be: > > *An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole > proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational > institution, or natural person who operates a network consistent with > ARIN’s resource justification requirements and, where applicable, provides > verification of identity and residency. A natural person solely acting as a > hobbyist is not considered an organization.* > > > This language allows for policy consistency while acknowledging that > technical legitimacy can come in many forms. > > Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I support further refinement of > this proposal and appreciate ARIN’s responsiveness to community input. > > Best regards, > Ben > > > > *BEN SHAPIRO* > President | Willamette Internet Exchange > [email protected] | (541) 255-0280 > > > On May 30, 2025 at 10:59:00 AM, David Farmer via ARIN-PPML < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I do not support the policy as written. As written, it is unclear whether >> natural persons not conducting business and acting solely as hobbyists are >> excluded. However, natural persons operating businesses in their own name >> should be considered valid organizations. >> >> Organizations must; >> >> 1. Operate as legal businesses within the ARIN service region. >> 2. Operate a network within the ARIN service region with Internet >> number resources allocated by or registered with ARIN. >> 3. Meet other policy or eligibility criteria. >> >> From a policy perspective, the first two are fundamental criteria that >> must be included in the definition of an organization. >> >> I suggest the following revision to the policy text; >> >> 2.x Organization >> >> >> An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole >> proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational >> institution, or natural person operating as a legal business within the >> ARIN service region. It must also operate a network within the ARIN service >> region with Internet number resources allocated by or registered with ARIN >> and meet other policy or eligibility criteria. >> >> >> I also want to point out the recent blog post by ARIN Staff about this >> subject. >> https://www.arin.net/blog/2025/05/28/individual-requests/ >> >> Thanks. >> >> On Tue, May 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM ARIN <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> On 15 May 2025, the ARIN Advisory Council (AC) accepted ARIN-prop-343: >>> Resource Issuance to Natural Persons as Draft Policy. >>> >>> Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4 is below and can be found at: >>> >>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/2025_4 >>> >>> You are encouraged to discuss all Draft Policies on PPML. The AC will >>> evaluate the discussion to assess the conformance of this draft policy with >>> ARIN's Principles of Internet number resource policy as stated in the >>> Policy Development Process (PDP). Specifically, these principles are: >>> >>> * Enabling Fair and Impartial Number Resource Administration >>> * Technically Sound >>> * Supported by the Community >>> >>> The PDP can be found at: >>> >>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/pdp/ >>> >>> Draft Policies and Proposals under discussion can be found at: >>> >>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/ >>> >>> Regards, >>> >>> Eddie Diego >>> Policy Analyst >>> American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) >>> >>> >>> >>> Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4: Resource Issuance to Natural Persons >>> >>> Problem Statement: >>> >>> ARIN policies currently restrict the issuance of number resources to >>> organizations. This limits access for individuals who are running networks >>> under their own legal name, especially in regions where forming or >>> registering a business is not required or feasible. Other RIRs such as RIPE >>> NCC allow individuals to receive resources directly. ARIN should consider >>> similar flexibility to ensure equal and consistent access to Internet >>> number resources for all operators, regardless of legal structure. >>> >>> Policy Statement: >>> >>> This proposal introduces explicit policy text into the NRPM to allow >>> number resource issuance to natural persons (individuals) who provide valid >>> justification and identity verification. >>> >>> Amend NRPM Section 2 to add the following definition: >>> >>> 2.18 Organization >>> >>> An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole >>> proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational >>> institution, or a natural person acting in a capacity consistent with >>> operating a network and who meets ARIN’s resource eligibility criteria. >>> >>> Comments: >>> >>> Sections 4.2, 5.1, and 6.5 shall be interpreted to allow “organizations” >>> as newly defined in Section 2.12, thereby including individuals where >>> appropriate. >>> >>> Staff may develop identity verification and residency requirements >>> appropriate to individuals (e.g., government-issued photo ID and proof of >>> address). >>> >>> All resource justification, utilization, and RSA signing requirements >>> remain unchanged. >>> >>> There has been extensive discussion of this topic on the ARIN Public >>> Policy Mailing List (PPML) in April 2025. Participants have cited >>> inconsistencies and barriers created by reliance on state-level business >>> registries, and called for more inclusive eligibility mechanisms similar to >>> other RIR regions. The proposal addresses these concerns while maintaining >>> accountability and justification requirements. >>> >>> Timetable for implementation: >>> >>> Recommend implementation within 3–6 months of ratification to allow ARIN >>> staff and legal counsel to develop supporting processes. >>> >>> Anything else: >>> >>> This proposal does not reduce the level of justification required to >>> obtain resources, but merely expands eligibility to natural persons who >>> operate networks and meet all existing technical and usage criteria. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> ARIN-PPML >>> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to >>> the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List ([email protected]). >>> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at: >>> https://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-ppml >>> Please contact [email protected] if you experience any issues. >>> >> >> >> -- >> =============================================== >> David Farmer Email:[email protected] >> Networking & Telecommunication Services >> Office of Information Technology >> University of Minnesota >> 2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815 >> Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952 >> =============================================== >> _______________________________________________ >> ARIN-PPML >> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to >> the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List ([email protected]). >> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at: >> https://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-ppml >> Please contact [email protected] if you experience any issues. >> > -- =============================================== David Farmer Email:[email protected] Networking & Telecommunication Services Office of Information Technology University of Minnesota 2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815 Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952 ===============================================
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