[arin-announce] REMINDER: Proposed PDP Community Review Request

[Member Services]

Your comments are requested on the proposed policy development process!  
Please post your opinions to arin-ppml at arin.net no later than 5 PM EDT, 
Friday, 9 May 2008.

On 8 April 2008, at ARIN XXI in Denver, Colorado, Scott Bradner 
presented a proposed policy development process (PDP) to replace the 
current  Internet Resource Policy Evaluation Process (IRPEP). The 
proposed PDP is intended to bring forth clear,  technically sound and 
useful policy; reduce overlapping policy proposals; require both staff 
and legal assessments before discussion; give adequate  opportunity for 
discussion prior to each public policy meeting; and provide a  means of 
review prior to possible adoption. The proposed PDP empowers the ARIN 
Advisory Council by shifting its scope from a policy advisory body to a 
policy development body while providing  checks and balances and 
maintains an open and transparent process.

The presentation can be found at:
    http://www.arin.net/meetings/minutes/ARIN_XXI/ppm.html

and the webcast can be found at:
    http://www.arin.net/meetings/minutes/ARIN_XXI/ppm.html.

The full text for the proposed PDP can be found in the attached PDF or 
in text below.

Regards,

Member Services
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)

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PRINCIPLE

ARIN's Internet Resource Policies are documented community decisions 
that directly determine the rules by which Internet numbering resources 
are managed and administered by ARIN. Internet Resource Policies are 
developed in an open and transparent manner by the Internet community.

Anyone may participate in the process - ARIN membership is not required.

The Policy Development Process (PDP) described in this document defines 
how policy is established in the ARIN region.

The ARIN Board of Trustees adopts proposed Internet Number Resource 
Policies recommended to it by the ARIN Advisory Council (AC) if the 
Board determines that the PDP has been followed, that support and 
consensus for a policy has been reached among the community, and if the 
proposed policies are consistent with ARIN's Articles of Incorporation 
and Bylaws and with the applicable laws and regulations.

It is important to note that Internet Resource Policies are distinctly 
separate from ARIN general business practices and procedures. ARIN's 
general business practices (including fees) and procedures are not 
within the purview of the Policy Development Process. (The ARIN 
Consultation and Suggestion Process can be used to propose changes in 
non-policy areas.)

OVERIVEW

The proposed PDP is intended to bring forth clear, technically sound and 
useful policy; reduce overlapping policy proposals; require both staff 
and legal assessments before discussion; give adequate opportunity for 
discussion prior to each public policy meeting; and provide a means of 
review prior to possible adoption.  The proposed PDP empowers the ARIN 
Advisory Council by shifting its scope from a policy advisory body to a 
policy development body while providing checks and balances and 
maintains an open and transparent process.

THE POLICY DEVEOPMENT PROCESS

1. Proposal. [15 Days, maximum]

         a. Submittal. Policy proposals may be submitted at any time.
Anyone in the community, except a member of the ARIN Board of Trustees 
or a member of ARIN staff can originate a policy proposal. Policy 
proposals must be sent to the policy e-mail address at ARIN. Proposals 
can be submitted at any time but only proposals received more than 70 
days before a Public Policy Meeting (PPM) can generate a draft policy 
for consideration at that meeting.

         b. Clarity & Understanding. ARIN staff works with the proposal 
originator to ensure there is clarity and understanding of what is being 
proposed. The staff does not evaluate the proposal itself at this stage, 
their only aim is to make sure that they understand what the proposal is 
proposing and believe that the community will as well.

If understanding is reached the proposal is announced to the community 
via the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List (PPML) and forwarded to the AC.
The proposal is dropped if the staff and originator cannot reach an 
agreement on clear and understandable text.

In this case, the originator may make a Submittal Petition and send the 
proposal to PPML and request community support to have the proposal 
forwarded to the AC for review. There is no AC action in this phase.


2. Draft Policy. [30 Days, maximum]

         a. Development & Evaluation. The AC assumes ownership of all 
proposals. The AC develops and evaluates proposals to only bring forth 
technically sound policies that make a positive contribution to the 
Number Resource Policy Manual. The AC may rewrite, merge, abandon, etc.; 
for example, they may use a proposal as an idea to generate a draft policy.

If the AC intends to move a draft policy forward, it must first submit 
it for staff and legal review (10 days max to perform). The AC must 
understand and address staff and legal comments before a proposal may go 
on. These comments may cause the AC to revise a draft policy.

         b. Selection. The AC selects the draft policies that will be 
published for discussion and review by the community on the PPML. The 
relevant staff and legal comments will be published along with each 
draft policy.

If any member of the community, including a proposal originator, is 
dissatisfied with the AC action on a policy proposal they can initiate a 
Discussion Petition to move this particular proposal to the PPML for 
discussion as a draft policy.

A successful petition may result in competing versions of the same draft 
policy. Staff and legal review will be conducted and published for 
successful petitions.


3. Discussion and Review. [25 Days, minimum]

Only draft policies selected by the AC or successfully petitioned are 
open to community discussion and review on PPML. The text of all draft 
policies is frozen at 10 days prior to the Public Policy Meeting. The 
text remains frozen until after the completion of the Public Policy 
Meeting so that a single text for each draft policy is considered at the 
meeting.


4.  Public Policy Meeting. The AC presents draft policies at the Public 
Policy Meeting; the successful petitioner presents theirs. Competing 
proposals, if any, will be discussed together. Discussion and votes at 
the meeting are for the consideration of the AC.


5. Consensus.

         a. Discussion Evaluation. [30 Days, maximum] At the conclusion 
of the PPM the AC owns all draft policies, including those that were 
successfully petitioned. The AC reviews all draft policies and, taking 
into account discussion both on the PPML and at the Public Policy 
Meeting, decides what to do with each draft policy. The AC may rewrite, 
merge, abandon, send to last call, etc. The results of the AC's 
decisions are announced to the PPML. Draft policies that are not 
abandoned or sent to last call are placed on the AC docket for further 
development and evaluation.

If any member of the community, including a proposal originator, is 
dissatisfied with the AC action on a policy proposal they can initiate a 
Last Call Petition to move this particular proposal to the PPML for last 
call.

         b. Last Call [10 Days, minimum] The AC selects draft policies 
that have support both in the community and the AC itself and sends them 
to a last call for comments on the PPML.

The last call period will be for a minimum of 10 days. The AC may decide 
that certain draft proposals may require a longer last call period of 
review, such as those that were revised based on comments received while 
the text was frozen. If the AC sends a draft policy to last call that is 
different from the frozen version, then the AC will explain and justify 
changes to the text.

         c. Last Call Review [30 Days, maximum] The AC determines 
consensus for each draft policy by reviewing last call comments, 
revisiting its decision (the AC may rewrite, merge, abandon, etc.), and 
determining readiness for consideration by the Board of Trustees. If the 
AC modifies a draft policy, it will be sent for another round of last 
call or may be placed back on the AC's docket for further development 
and evaluation.

If any member of the community is dissatisfied with the AC action on a 
policy proposal they can initiate a Board of Trustees Consideration 
Petition to move this particular proposal for consideration by the Board 
of Trustees.

The results of the AC's decisions are announced to the PPML. The AC 
forwards the draft policies that it supports to the Board of Trustees 
for consideration.

6.   Board of Trustee Review. [30 Days, maximum] The ARIN Board of
Trustees reviews and evaluates each draft policy presented to it. The 
Board examines each draft policy in terms of fiduciary risk, liability 
risk, conformity to law, development in accordance with the ARIN PDP, 
and adherence to the ARIN Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. The 
Board may adopt, reject or remand draft policies to the AC. Rejections 
will include an explanation. Remands will include an explanation and a 
recommendation. The Board may also seek clarification from the AC 
without remanding the draft policy. The results of the Board's decision 
are announced to the community via PPML.

7.  Implementation.  The expected implementation date of the policy is 
announced at the time that adoption of the policy is announced. ARIN 
staff updates to include the adopted policy into the Number Resource 
Policy Manual and implements and publishes a new version of the manual.