[ppml] ARIN PPML Poll / Q1, Q2, Q3

[Tom Vest]

On Mar 31, 2008, at 12:00 PM, Member Services wrote:

> To register your opinion, simply click the link next to the answer  
> that most
> represents your standing on the issue. You must make your opinion  
> known by
> 12:00:00 ET on Thursday, 3 April 2008.

> Topic:
> Q1: Do you feel a transfer proposal to change the current transfer  
> policy should exist?

> Q2: Do you feel that you have been informed enough on the pro's and  
> con's of what a change in the current transfer policy would have in  
> our internet community?

> Topic:
> Q3: Do you feel informed enough in general to make a decision  
> regarding a change to the current transfer policy?

> Responses:
>    Yes -
>    No -
>    Undecided -
>    I don't care -
>
> This is a simple poll to gauge where the community stands. If you
> would like to elaborate on this policy topic, please post a message  
> to the
> PPML.
>
> Regards,
>
> ARIN Member Services

I'd like to register a concern about the wording of these questions.
There has been almost no discussion of "a transfer proposal to change  
the current transfer policy" to date. Instead there have been many  
conversations over the years about incremental modifications of the  
existing (strict construction) transfer language in NPRM Section 8  
(e.g., 2007-8), which were lately displaced by vigorous debate over  
the very specific (loose construction) transfer proposal, 2008-2.

However 2008-02 represents just one of a wide variety of conceivable  
(pro)transfer policies.

Suggestion: Perhaps the best way to disambiguate question (1) would be  
to change the possible answers to

Yes - and 2008-2 is it
Yes - but not 2008-2
No
Undecided
I don't care

Arguably, questions (2) and (3) should be dropped entirely, because of  
the fatal ambiguity of "a change to the current transfer policy". This  
ambiguity is eliminated if "a change" actually means 2008-2 -- every  
community member has a right to express an opinion / report on their  
personal feelings -- but how can anyone defensibly claim (i.e., why  
should anyone credit the claim) that they are sufficiently informed to  
evaluate the pros and cons of all conceivable transfer proposals?

Suggestion: In Questions (2) and (3), "a change to the current  
transfer policy" should be replaced with explicit reference to 2008-2,  
or else the questions should be dropped.

TV
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