[arin-ppml] ARIN-prop-154 Shared Space for IPv4 Address Extension (w/IETF considerations) - Staff Comments

[William Herrin]

On Sat, Jul 2, 2011 at 1:18 AM, John Curran <jcurran at arin.net> wrote:
> Policy proposal ARIN-prop-154 does not result in a materially different
> Internet number resource management policy from the Draft Policy 2011-5
> (which is already within the ARIN Policy Development Process and is before
> the Board of Trustees having been recommended for adoption by the ARIN AC.)
>
> ARIN-prop-154 does propose a procedure for implementation of the policy
> change and the suggested procedure for implementation will be provided to
> the ARIN Board of Trustees for their ongoing consideration of Draft Policy
> 2011-5 (regardless of the disposition of ARIN-prop-154.)
>
> As the policy proposal in ARIN-prop-154 overlaps significantly with
> an existing Draft Policy already in the Policy Development Process and
> recommended for adoption, it is the staff position that ARIN-prop-154
> is outside the scope of the the ARIN Policy Development Process PDP
> (per "PART ONE- PRINCIPLE, 2. Scope", noted below) and its abandonment
> will be recommended to the ARIN AC during their initial policy proposal
> evaluation.

John-

Respectfully, when quoting part 7 of the PDP's scope section, I think
you may have overlooked parts 1 through 6. It starts by stating what's
included in policy: "Policies developed through the PDP are community
self-regulatory statements that mandate or constrain actions." It goes
on to elaborate the specific subset of this which is excluded.

For example, "Policies developed through the PDP do not describe a
step-by-step process," aka a Procedure. This is why the paragraph
describing the policy's duration is not a part of the policy
statement. Another is that policies to not define services, such as a
whois or web server. Yet another is that policies do not set fees.

However, nothing in the PDP or bylaws precludes the policy-level
requirement that ARIN solicit activity from another standards body.
That would be paragraph 2. And nothing in the PDP excludes a
policy-level statement of principles offered as clarification for the
policy's users. That would be paragraph 3. And if paragraph 1
duplicates a draft policy before the board, paragraphs 2 and 3 do not.

Now, during previous policy proposals, I've been advised that I can't
offer a proposal that modifies another proposal not yet adopted. So I
can't offer paragraphs 2 and 3 by themselves. I can only offer the
entire change from current policy, including the pending paragraph 1
copied from draft 2011-5.

You can't have it one way last time and the other way this time.
That's called "arbitrary and capricious." So make up your mind -- do I
offer policy proposals as the modify current policy understanding that
the overlap will be discarded if the other policy is adopted, or do I
offer policy proposals as they modify policy and other current
proposals?


If the board faithfully follows the PDP, it will most likely remand
2011-5 to the AC for further development in light of the IAB's
comments. It could attempt to make corrections itself, but it would
have to step rather far beyond what achieved consensus to do so. Upon
remand, the AC may find it valuable to have some text they can merge
in for which discussion and expressions of consensus have already
occurred. And if the board elects to abandon 2011-5 in light of the
IAB's comments then prop 154 will no longer be duplicative.

In short, I respectfully submit that your advice regarding the PDP is
in error and should the AC find prop 154 to be of value, it should
follow the second course of action:

> The ARIN AC may choose not to abandon the policy proposal
> and continue work on it, recognizing that any ARIN Board of Trustees
> outcome with respect to the existing recommended Draft Policy 2011-5
> may obviate their development efforts with respect to ARIN-prop-154.

Regards,
Bill Herrin


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William D. Herrin ................ herrin at dirtside.com  bill at herrin.us
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