[ppml] Policy Proposal 2003-1: Human Point of Contact

[Member Services]

ARIN welcomes feedback and discussion about the following policy 
proposal in the weeks leading to the ARIN Public Policy Meeting 
in Memphis, Tennessee, scheduled for April 7-8, 2003. All feedback 
received on the mailing list about this policy proposal will be 
included in the discussions that will take place at the upcoming 
Public Policy Meeting. 

This policy proposal discussion will take place on the ARIN Public 
Policy Mailing List (ppml at arin.net). Subscription information is 
available at http://www.arin.net/mailing_lists/index.html 

Richard Jimmerson 
Director of Operations 
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) 

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Policy Proposal 2003-1: Human Point of Contact

1. Statement of proposed Policy:

ARIN shall require each ORG or other body receiving resources from 
ARIN to register at least one POC which is a human being.  ARIN shall 
amend the registration services agreement to include this requirement 
and shall further require that each ORG or other body agree to keep 
such contact up to date within 10 days of any change.  Further, at 
least one human contact shall be viewable, at least as a reference, 
on each resource record visible in the public WHOIS information.

2. Argument for the proposal and general discussion of the issue.

Issue:  
        Automated systems do fail.  In a case where the only contact
        information available to resolve such a failure is the system
        which has failed, the problem becomes one which cannot be
        resolved.

        The ISPs which are most likely to take advantage of the ability
        to hide behind role accounts are the ones most likely to have
        issues which require human intervention.

Argument in favor:
        When an automated system fails, it becomes important to be able
        to reach a human being capable of intervening or contacting
        an intervenor.  It is OK if the POC information (address,
        phone number, etc.) is a work number, or NOC, or even a
        switchboard, as long as it is a point of contact which leads
        to a real person with some ability to close the loop.

Problems:
        I understand the issue of hate mail, threats, and the general
        difficulty of dealing with irate complainers.  However, in
        any business, there are risks.  Being the human lightning rod
        for these complaints at a large provider is not a lot of fun,
        but it is a job which must be done.  Nobody likes to clean
        the restroom.

3.  Proposed timetable for implementation:

Once this proposal is ratified, ARIN should update it's registration 
services agreement to reflect the new policy within 30 days.  Existing 
ORG and other bodies should receive notification of the change and the 
requirement to comply during that same period.  They should be required 
to comply within 90 days of the date the notification is sent to the 
existing ADMIN-C.

After that time has elapsed, ARIN staff should be expected to investigate 
and take further appropriate action on any complaint received about lack 
of human contact in any resource record.

Appropriate action is left to the discretion of the ARIN AC, but should 
include ARIN staff contacting the hidden human contacts to try and find 
resolution.