[arin-ppml] "Leasing" of space via non-connectivity providers (was: Re: And so it ends... )

[Benson Schliesser]

On Feb 10, 2011, at 3:56 PM, William Herrin wrote:

> You are mistaken to describe ARIN as a lessor. ARIN holds the
> sociopolitical role of governing authority. It enforces the general
> rules for number resource possession in a particular geographic
> territory. It sets those rules through a formal public policy process.
> It charges only what money it requires to operate. It is no more
> correct to compare direct ARIN registrants to lessees than it would be
> to describe my home as leased from the Commonwealth of Virginia or
> describe my property taxes as rent.

U.S. law starts with the Constitution (and prior traditions), delegates authority to the 3 federal branches and the states, etc, etc.  You know all of this.

Where does ARIN fit into that governance structure?  What legal authority does ARIN have to govern anybody against their will?  I'm not talking about appeals to "community" and "consensus", which are fundamentally good things that carry little-to-no legal weight.

Cheers,
-Benson