On May 30, 2025, at 11:40, Matt Erculiani <[email protected]> wrote:
I’ll double down.
What threat does a hobbyist pose to the global routing or Internet
numbers systems?
Presumably someone going through this process isn’t your average
home-labber; what’s the harm in them having a block of their own unique
IPv6 if they pay the bill on-time? There are plenty of tunnel services
that make this a viable option these days.
I’m prepared to be eaten alive for the suggestion.
Matt Erculiani
On Fri, May 30, 2025 at 12:30 Tyler O'Meara via ARIN-PPML
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Ben,
I don't think a categorical exclusion for "hobbyists" (whatever that
actually
means in practice) is necessary or useful. The relevant sections for
resource
justifications already require operating an actual network, so
someone (or
organization) who wanted to come in and get IP addresses without
running a
network would already be excluded. I suppose theoretically they could
request a
single ASN, but if they're not planning on actually running a network
that ASN
is worthless to them anyways.
I'll also note that not all valid use cases for acquiring resources
necessitate
participating in global routing, although I doubt those use cases are
particularly relevant to natural persons. We should be careful not to
accidentally remove these use cases however.
Tyler
On Fri, 2025-05-30 at 11:12 -0700, Ben Shapiro 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] <mailto: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:
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> > Please contact [email protected] if you experience any issues.
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> ARIN-PPML
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