[arin-ppml] Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4: Resource Issuance to Natural Persons

Mon Jun 9 14:57:37 EDT 2025

We need to take a step back, there are several different usages for the
term Organization in the NRPM

- An organization in the ARIN database records the entity to which
allocations, reassignments, and reallocations are made. For
reassessments and reallocations, natural persons not operating a business
are valid.
- By definition, an organization receiving direct allocations from ARIN is
a service member and is eligible to request to become a general member with
voting rights. However, membership is controlled by Article V of the
Bylaws, not the NRPM.

So what does Article V say;

ARTICLE V: Membership
Section 1. Membership Types
The membership of ARIN shall have three classes of members: Trustee
Members, General Members, and Service Members.

a. Trustee Members
Trustees are individuals who may be, but are not required to be, Service
Members, General Members or representatives of General Members, as defined
below. Trustee Members shall consist of ARIN’s elected and appointed
individuals to the Board of Trustees and the President of ARIN, hereafter
known and referred to as Trustees.

b. General Members
General Members shall consist of entities wishing to participate in
Internet number resource policy development that have a valid ARIN
registration services agreement (RSA or LRSA) for Internet number
resources, and that meet any eligibility requirements and pay subscription
fees or membership fees as the Trustees may establish from time to time.

c. Service Members
Service Members shall consist of entities that have a valid ARIN
registration services agreement (RSA or LRSA) for Internet number
resources, that pay subscription fees or membership fees as the Trustees
may establish from time to time, and that either do not have an interest in
participation as a General Member or do not meet the eligibility
requirements established by the Board of Trustees for General Members.
Service Members do not have the right to vote in ARIN elections.

Article V.a is clear: Trustees are individuals. However, it seems to imply
that those individuals could also be Service or General Members, not
just representatives of Service or General Members.

Therefore, this implies that individuals could also be Service or General
Members, and it says nothing about excluding individuals who do not operate
a business.

Further, Article V.b seems to say that you have to be a General member to
participate in the Internet number resource policy development process,
which seems to contradict section 1.3 of the PDP. Maybe instead of
"Internet number resource policy development," it was meant to say "ARIN
governance," or "the Election of Trustees." This would be consistent with
the last sentence of the Service Member clause.

So, not only is clarification of the definition of an organization needed
in the NRPM, but I also think some clarifications are needed in the bylaws.

Thanks

On Thu, Jun 5, 2025 at 1:31 AM Scott Leibrand <scottleibrand at gmail.com>
wrote:

> If individuals who want resources are getting them via sole
> proprietorships, what is the problem we’re trying to solve here? Have we
> already spent more time discussing this than will be saved by reducing the
> paperwork burden on the handful of people who need direct ARIN resources
> and can’t set up a sole proprietorship as easily as most?
>
> Scott
>
> On Jun 4, 2025, at 7:21 PM, John Curran <jcurran at arin.net> wrote:
>
> 
>
> On Jun 4, 2025, at 6:40 PM, David Farmer <farmer at umn.edu> wrote:
>
> On Wed, Jun 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM John Curran <jcurran at arin.net> wrote:
>
>> David –
>>
>> Answers below, inline.
>>
>> > On Jun 4, 2025, at 11:48 AM, David Farmer <farmer at umn.edu> wrote:
>> >
>> > Thanks John,
>> >
>> > Some follow-up questions;
>> >
>> > 1. Is there a reassignment mechanism for ASNs? I'm not aware of one. A
>> natural person not operating a business can obtain IP addresses from an
>> ISP/LIR and expect them to be reassigned to them for their use. But how
>> does a natural person not operating a business obtain an ASN for their use?
>> This seems like a hole in the system.
>>
>> An ISP can request an ASN for their customer to use and create a ROA for
>> it (or the customer can use private ASN if their ISP supports such.)
>>
>
> The problem with that is that if a natural person not operating a business
> gets a detailed reassignment of address space, it shows up under their
> OrgID, where they control the POCs. However, an ASN would currently have to
> show up under their ISP's OrgID. The ISP could make them a resource POC for
> the ASN, but it isn't quite the same. It also doesn't accurately
> communicate how the ASN is being used from an operational perspective.
>
>
> Quite correct.  (It is a very unusual case, but since you asked if it was
> possible, I provided the answer…)
>
> Note that it is far more common for individuals to apply directly to ARIN
> for an ASN; this does result in them signing an RSA with ARIN, and we do
> treat them as a sole proprietor of their organization for purposes of
> contracting.  This is a fairly routine occurrence, and results them having
> the ASN under their OrgID, and reflects the operational use more aptly then
> receiving one via the reassignment process (as you already noted above.)
>
> If ARIN wants to avoid natural persons not operating a business as direct
> customers, providing a detailed reassignment type mechanism for ASNs is a
> possible place to start for a compromise.
>
>
> We have many individuals obtain ASNs from ARIN under present policy
> without any difficulties as far as we can determine, and so the need for
> such a policy is unclear.  Noting such, if the community believes such a
> mechanism is necessary, develops number resource policy for it, then it
> will be implemented once the policy is adopted.
>
>
> > 2. If a natural person is not operating a business, and their only
>> relationship to ARIN is indirectly through an ISP or LIR, what about
>> portability, and what happens if the ISP/LIR goes bankrupt? If we do not
>> allow a direct relationship between ARIN and natural persons not operating
>> a business, then the system needs some mechanism to support ISP/LIR
>> portability and protections for ISP/LIR bankruptcy.
>>
>> The number resources are issued to the ISP/LIR, not the individual, and
>> control over the number resources remains with ISP even if
>> reassigned/reallocated in registry.
>>
>> If the ISP/LIR goes bankrupt, the ISP's number resources are contractual
>> rights that are treated as assets of their estate and handled according to
>> standard bankruptcy procedures, subject to ARIN’s transfer policies.
>>
>
> This is where RIPE's Sponsoring LIR mechanism probably has some
> advantages. It maintains the B2B business model between the RIR and the
> ISP/LIR, while the ISP/LIR maintains the B2C relationship. The resources
> are maintained in the end-user's name. The end-user can change
> their Sponsoring LIR, which would likely happen in the case of LIR
> bankruptcy.
>
> Would ARIN consider a Sponsoring LIR mechanism to provide resources to
> natural persons not operating a business, while maintaining its B2B
> business model?
>
>
> “Would ARIN consider…?”  ARIN is your organization, so the answer to all
> such questions is “Yes”, but with some caveats…
>
> The policy development policy process is designed to accommodate routine
> changes to the number resource policy manual, and is likely not the best
> mechanism for major changes to ARIN’s customer and service model.  Such
> changes fall under the purview of the ARIN Board of Trustees, and are made
> after extensive engagement with the community.
>
> We’ve done a number of these changes over the last two decades, including
> a ISP/end-user services alignment, a major fee harmonization effort, the
> general/service member restructuring, etc.  In each case, there was
> extensive discussion of the problem that needed to be solved, and
> implications for the ARIN community that would result from the change.
>
> So:  “Yes”, but it starts with a suggestion to ACSP including the problem
> to be solved.  As noted above, we’re unable to determine if present
> practice poses any material problems for individuals requesting number
> resources, so that will be an important part of discussion with the
> community.
>
> Thanks,
> /John
>
> John Curran
> President and CEO
> American Registry for Internet Numbers
>
>
>
>
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David Farmer               Email:farmer at umn.edu
Networking & Telecommunication Services
Office of Information Technology
University of Minnesota
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