[arin-ppml] Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4: Resource Issuance to Natural Persons
David Farmer
farmer at umn.edu
Fri May 30 14:28:10 EDT 2025
While I don't support the inclusion of hobbiests, if this policy intends to
include them, they shouldn't be snuck in through waffly language;
If hobbiests are to be included, they should be explicitly included.
On Fri, May 30, 2025 at 1:12 PM Ben Shapiro <president at thewix.net> wrote:
> Thank you David, for the thoughtful revisions and to ARIN staff for
> progressing this discussion.
>
> As someone involved in the operation of a small-to-medium Internet
> Exchange Point (IXP), I’d like to offer a complementary perspective from
> the interconnection and community network operator ecosystem.
>
> IXPs—particularly regional, volunteer-run, or lightly incorporated
> ones—frequently interface with a range of participants, including small
> ISPs, research networks, community fiber projects, and technically capable
> individuals who operate networks that meaningfully contribute to regional
> interconnection and resiliency. Some of these operators do not have formal
> corporate structures, yet they are deeply engaged in the technical and
> operational requirements of network management and peering. From our
> vantage point, the exclusion of natural persons from eligibility can pose
> an artificial barrier that does not align with real-world routing and
> interconnection practices.
>
> While I agree with David that natural persons operating legal businesses
> should unquestionably be considered valid organizations, I also see
> operational value in supporting natural persons who:
>
>
> - Operate autonomous systems used in peering environments;
> - Maintain IPv6 prefixes with global routing visibility;
> - Support last-mile, experimental, or community-focused efforts.
>
>
> Such actors are already required to justify their needs under existing
> ARIN policies. Adding verification of identity and residency, as the draft
> suggests, provides accountability without unduly excluding legitimate
> network operators who do not or cannot register as a business.
>
> From the IXP perspective, clarity is important. I support revising the
> policy language to explicitly differentiate:
>
>
> 1. Hobbyists with no operational network or intent to participate in
> global routing (not eligible),
> 2. Natural persons operating a routable, justified network (eligible),
> and
> 3. Natural persons operating a legal business (clearly eligible).
>
>
> A possible refinement might be:
>
> *An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole
> proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational
> institution, or natural person who operates a network consistent with
> ARIN’s resource justification requirements and, where applicable, provides
> verification of identity and residency. A natural person solely acting as a
> hobbyist is not considered an organization.*
>
>
> This language allows for policy consistency while acknowledging that
> technical legitimacy can come in many forms.
>
> Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I support further refinement of
> this proposal and appreciate ARIN’s responsiveness to community input.
>
> Best regards,
> Ben
>
>
>
> *BEN SHAPIRO*
> President | Willamette Internet Exchange
> president at thewix.net | (541) 255-0280
>
>
> On May 30, 2025 at 10:59:00 AM, David Farmer via ARIN-PPML <
> arin-ppml at arin.net> wrote:
>
>> I do not support the policy as written. As written, it is unclear whether
>> natural persons not conducting business and acting solely as hobbyists are
>> excluded. However, natural persons operating businesses in their own name
>> should be considered valid organizations.
>>
>> Organizations must;
>>
>> 1. Operate as legal businesses within the ARIN service region.
>> 2. Operate a network within the ARIN service region with Internet
>> number resources allocated by or registered with ARIN.
>> 3. Meet other policy or eligibility criteria.
>>
>> From a policy perspective, the first two are fundamental criteria that
>> must be included in the definition of an organization.
>>
>> I suggest the following revision to the policy text;
>>
>> 2.x Organization
>>
>>
>> An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole
>> proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational
>> institution, or natural person operating as a legal business within the
>> ARIN service region. It must also operate a network within the ARIN service
>> region with Internet number resources allocated by or registered with ARIN
>> and meet other policy or eligibility criteria.
>>
>>
>> I also want to point out the recent blog post by ARIN Staff about this
>> subject.
>> https://www.arin.net/blog/2025/05/28/individual-requests/
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> On Tue, May 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM ARIN <info at arin.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On 15 May 2025, the ARIN Advisory Council (AC) accepted ARIN-prop-343:
>>> Resource Issuance to Natural Persons as Draft Policy.
>>>
>>> Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4 is below and can be found at:
>>>
>>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/2025_4
>>>
>>> You are encouraged to discuss all Draft Policies on PPML. The AC will
>>> evaluate the discussion to assess the conformance of this draft policy with
>>> ARIN's Principles of Internet number resource policy as stated in the
>>> Policy Development Process (PDP). Specifically, these principles are:
>>>
>>> * Enabling Fair and Impartial Number Resource Administration
>>> * Technically Sound
>>> * Supported by the Community
>>>
>>> The PDP can be found at:
>>>
>>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/pdp/
>>>
>>> Draft Policies and Proposals under discussion can be found at:
>>>
>>> https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Eddie Diego
>>> Policy Analyst
>>> American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4: Resource Issuance to Natural Persons
>>>
>>> Problem Statement:
>>>
>>> ARIN policies currently restrict the issuance of number resources to
>>> organizations. This limits access for individuals who are running networks
>>> under their own legal name, especially in regions where forming or
>>> registering a business is not required or feasible. Other RIRs such as RIPE
>>> NCC allow individuals to receive resources directly. ARIN should consider
>>> similar flexibility to ensure equal and consistent access to Internet
>>> number resources for all operators, regardless of legal structure.
>>>
>>> Policy Statement:
>>>
>>> This proposal introduces explicit policy text into the NRPM to allow
>>> number resource issuance to natural persons (individuals) who provide valid
>>> justification and identity verification.
>>>
>>> Amend NRPM Section 2 to add the following definition:
>>>
>>> 2.18 Organization
>>>
>>> An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole
>>> proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational
>>> institution, or a natural person acting in a capacity consistent with
>>> operating a network and who meets ARIN’s resource eligibility criteria.
>>>
>>> Comments:
>>>
>>> Sections 4.2, 5.1, and 6.5 shall be interpreted to allow “organizations”
>>> as newly defined in Section 2.12, thereby including individuals where
>>> appropriate.
>>>
>>> Staff may develop identity verification and residency requirements
>>> appropriate to individuals (e.g., government-issued photo ID and proof of
>>> address).
>>>
>>> All resource justification, utilization, and RSA signing requirements
>>> remain unchanged.
>>>
>>> There has been extensive discussion of this topic on the ARIN Public
>>> Policy Mailing List (PPML) in April 2025. Participants have cited
>>> inconsistencies and barriers created by reliance on state-level business
>>> registries, and called for more inclusive eligibility mechanisms similar to
>>> other RIR regions. The proposal addresses these concerns while maintaining
>>> accountability and justification requirements.
>>>
>>> Timetable for implementation:
>>>
>>> Recommend implementation within 3–6 months of ratification to allow ARIN
>>> staff and legal counsel to develop supporting processes.
>>>
>>> Anything else:
>>>
>>> This proposal does not reduce the level of justification required to
>>> obtain resources, but merely expands eligibility to natural persons who
>>> operate networks and meet all existing technical and usage criteria.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> ARIN-PPML
>>> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to
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>>> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:
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>>> Please contact info at arin.net if you experience any issues.
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> ===============================================
>> David Farmer Email:farmer at umn.edu
>> Networking & Telecommunication Services
>> Office of Information Technology
>> University of Minnesota
>> 2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815
>> Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952
>> ===============================================
>> _______________________________________________
>> ARIN-PPML
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>> Please contact info at arin.net if you experience any issues.
>>
>
--
===============================================
David Farmer Email:farmer at umn.edu
Networking & Telecommunication Services
Office of Information Technology
University of Minnesota
2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815
Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952
===============================================
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