[arin-ppml] Revised - Draft Policy ARIN-2025-1: Clarify ISP and LIR Definitions and References to Address Ambiguity in NRPM Text

[David Farmer]

Please explain what is confusing about the current usage of both LIR and
ISP?

The following Blog post from ARIN seems perfectly straightforward to me;
 https://www.arin.net/blog/2023/02/28/ISP-or-end-user/

And the following page is about Requesting IP addresses.
https://www.arin.net/resources/guide/request/


They both seem to address the idea that LIR and ISP are effectively the
same thing.

Organizations that want to consider themselves as ISPs can, and those that
don't want to consider themselves as ISPs have the term LIR.

I don't see any advantage in making the term LIR go away or any confusion
around the term.

Thanks

On Fri, Sep 19, 2025 at 4:41 PM William Herrin <bill at herrin.us> wrote:

> On Fri, Sep 19, 2025 at 12:50 PM Owen DeLong via ARIN-PPML
> <arin-ppml at arin.net> wrote:
> > Why does the NRPM have to match ARIN internal terminology?
> > While I would encourage ARIN to adopt a better internal use of
> terminology, I don’t see that as relevant to the policy process at all.
>
> Hi Owen,
>
> Can you explain how it would benefit the community for ARIN to use one
> set of terminology in the NRPM and a different set of terminology in
> its communication with registrants?
>
> ARIN uses "ISP" in its software and operating practices, and
> occasionally "LIR/ISP." If we want to zero in on a different term of
> art, I think we have to expect the organization to harmonize on that
> term. Consistency is just good communication practice. Zeroing in on a
> term other than ISP will incur a cost in changed documents, modified
> training and updated software.
>
> On the other hand, adjustments to the NRPM definition of ISP that
> don't particularly alter ARIN's practices, and harmonizing the NRPM on
> that term, carry a negligible cost.
>
> Regards,
> Bill Herrin
>
>
> --
> William Herrin
> bill at herrin.us
> https://bill.herrin.us/
> _______________________________________________
> ARIN-PPML
> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to
> the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List (ARIN-PPML at arin.net).
> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:
> https://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-ppml
> 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
===============================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.arin.net/pipermail/arin-ppml/attachments/20250919/966415f5/attachment.htm>