[ppml] Metric for rejecting policy proposals: AC candidate question

[Edward Lewis]

At 13:03 -0400 10/3/06, Sandy Murphy wrote:
>>If a change to the Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM) is required,
>>the IRPEP is what is to be followed.
>
>True.  But is the converse true as well?  That is, is the IRPEP restricted
>to considering ONLY changes to the NRPM?
>
>I see text that says:
>
>Policies are documented community decisions that determine the rules
>by which Internet numbering resources are managed and administered by ARIN.
>It is important that policies be distinctly separated from activities that
>are considered to be general practices and procedures of ARIN.

Keep in mind that I'm not an expert in this area.  Being an engineer, 
I'm not trained in the kind of logic best used for such questions.

>This does not specifically say that only changes to the NRPM are policies.
>And there was ample opportunity for those who crafted this language to
>say exactly that.  I presume that means that those who crafted this
>language did not mean to limit policies to changes to the NRPM.

Part of my gut reaction is that English is not C - English is not as 
precise.  Another is that the people that crafted this (I assume) 
were more attuned to engineering than law.  The maintainers certainly 
are.  Finally, "policies" aren't the subject for what is handed to 
the AC, it's "Internet resource policies."

You'd get a better answer from a BoT member or the legal council for 
ARIN.  I just sit in the back of the room at meetings twice a year. 
(And snipe on the list.)

>I would say that "you must sign this RSA" is a rule by which ARIN
>manages and administers number resources, i.e., a policy that the membership
>could change in the IRPEP, rather than an activity considered to be
>general practice and procedure.

The RSA is a billing matter, a membership matter.

You may recall an earlier thread in which Sam protested the RSA, I 
replied that the RSA is under control of the membership proxied by 
the BoT.  A BoT member replied I was wrong about that.

It turns out that the BoT member was wrong.  I learned this by 
addressing questions directly to the staff for clarification.

One thing to keep in mind - the "Open Policy Meeting" is where 
policies are discussed and is part of the IRPEP.  Anyone can attend. 
The "Members Meeting" follows the next day and is where other matters 
are discussed, including the budget, staff activity, and the update 
on the IRPEP.  The same happens in the other RIRs I attend.

>You may interpret this differently.  But is there anywhere that specifically
>says that *only* NPRM changes are subject to the IRPEP?

Not that I know of.  But maybe that question ought to be asked of 
ARIN.  Sam's inference that there is an informal process that is an 
alternative to the formally defined and documented process is 
definitely wrong (even if that is just what he concluded from the 
answers from the AC).

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Edward Lewis                                                +1-571-434-5468
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