<div dir="auto">I’ll double down. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">What threat does a hobbyist pose to the global routing or Internet numbers systems?</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Presumably someone going through this process isn’t your average home-labber; what’s the harm in them having a block of their own unique IPv6 if they pay the bill on-time? There are plenty of tunnel services that make this a viable option these days.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">I’m prepared to be eaten alive for the suggestion.<br clear="all"><br clear="all"><div dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Matt Erculiani<br></div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><br><div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, May 30, 2025 at 12:30 Tyler O'Meara via ARIN-PPML <<a href="mailto:arin-ppml@arin.net">arin-ppml@arin.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204)">Hi Ben,<br>
<br>
I don't think a categorical exclusion for "hobbyists" (whatever that actually<br>
means in practice) is necessary or useful. The relevant sections for resource<br>
justifications already require operating an actual network, so someone (or<br>
organization) who wanted to come in and get IP addresses without running a<br>
network would already be excluded. I suppose theoretically they could request a<br>
single ASN, but if they're not planning on actually running a network that ASN<br>
is worthless to them anyways. <br>
<br>
I'll also note that not all valid use cases for acquiring resources necessitate<br>
participating in global routing, although I doubt those use cases are<br>
particularly relevant to natural persons. We should be careful not to<br>
accidentally remove these use cases however.<br>
<br>
Tyler<br>
<br>
On Fri, 2025-05-30 at 11:12 -0700, Ben Shapiro wrote:<br>
> Thank you David, for the thoughtful revisions and to ARIN staff for<br>
> progressing this discussion.<br>
> <br>
> As someone involved in the operation of a small-to-medium Internet Exchange<br>
> Point (IXP), I’d like to offer a complementary perspective from the<br>
> interconnection and community network operator ecosystem.<br>
> <br>
> IXPs—particularly regional, volunteer-run, or lightly incorporated<br>
> ones—frequently interface with a range of participants, including small ISPs,<br>
> research networks, community fiber projects, and technically capable<br>
> individuals who operate networks that meaningfully contribute to regional<br>
> interconnection and resiliency. Some of these operators do not have formal<br>
> corporate structures, yet they are deeply engaged in the technical and<br>
> operational requirements of network management and peering. From our vantage<br>
> point, the exclusion of natural persons from eligibility can pose an<br>
> artificial barrier that does not align with real-world routing and<br>
> interconnection practices.<br>
> <br>
> While I agree with David that natural persons operating legal businesses<br>
> should unquestionably be considered valid organizations, I also see<br>
> operational value in supporting natural persons who:<br>
> <br>
> * Operate autonomous systems used in peering environments;<br>
> * Maintain IPv6 prefixes with global routing visibility;<br>
> * Support last-mile, experimental, or community-focused efforts.<br>
> <br>
> Such actors are already required to justify their needs under existing ARIN<br>
> policies. Adding verification of identity and residency, as the draft<br>
> suggests, provides accountability without unduly excluding legitimate network<br>
> operators who do not or cannot register as a business.<br>
> <br>
> From the IXP perspective, clarity is important. I support revising the policy<br>
> language to explicitly differentiate:<br>
> <br>
> 1. Hobbyists with no operational network or intent to participate in global<br>
> routing (not eligible),<br>
> 2. Natural persons operating a routable, justified network (eligible), and<br>
> 3. Natural persons operating a legal business (clearly eligible).<br>
> <br>
> A possible refinement might be:<br>
> <br>
> > An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship,<br>
> > government agency, non-profit entity, educational institution, or natural<br>
> > person who operates a network consistent with ARIN’s resource justification<br>
> > requirements and, where applicable, provides verification of identity and<br>
> > residency. A natural person solely acting as a hobbyist is not considered an<br>
> > organization.<br>
> <br>
> This language allows for policy consistency while acknowledging that technical<br>
> legitimacy can come in many forms.<br>
> <br>
> Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I support further refinement of this<br>
> proposal and appreciate ARIN’s responsiveness to community input.<br>
> <br>
> Best regards,<br>
> Ben<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> BEN SHAPIRO<br>
> President | Willamette Internet Exchange <br>
> <a href="mailto:president@thewix.net" target="_blank">president@thewix.net</a> | (541) 255-0280<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> On May 30, 2025 at 10:59:00 AM, David Farmer via ARIN-PPML<br>
> <<a href="mailto:arin-ppml@arin.net" target="_blank">arin-ppml@arin.net</a>> wrote:<br>
> <br>
> > <br>
> > I do not support the policy as written. As written, it is unclear whether<br>
> > natural persons not conducting business and acting solely as hobbyists are<br>
> > excluded. However, natural persons operating businesses in their own name<br>
> > should be considered valid organizations.<br>
> > <br>
> > Organizations must; <br>
> > 1. Operate as legal businesses within the ARIN service region.<br>
> > 2. Operate a network within the ARIN service region with Internet number<br>
> > resources allocated by or registered with ARIN.<br>
> > 3. Meet other policy or eligibility criteria.<br>
> > From a policy perspective, the first two are fundamental criteria that must<br>
> > be included in the definition of an organization.<br>
> > <br>
> > I suggest the following revision to the policy text;<br>
> > <br>
> > > 2.x Organization<br>
> > <br>
> > > An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole<br>
> > > proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational<br>
> > > institution, or natural person operating as a legal business within the<br>
> > > ARIN service region. It must also operate a network within the ARIN<br>
> > > service region with Internet number resources allocated by or registered<br>
> > > with ARIN and meet other policy or eligibility criteria.<br>
> > <br>
> > I also want to point out the recent blog post by ARIN Staff about this<br>
> > subject.<br>
> > <a href="https://www.arin.net/blog/2025/05/28/individual-requests/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.arin.net/blog/2025/05/28/individual-requests/</a><br>
> > <br>
> > Thanks.<br>
> > <br>
> > On Tue, May 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM ARIN <<a href="mailto:info@arin.net" target="_blank">info@arin.net</a>> wrote:<br>
> > > On 15 May 2025, the ARIN Advisory Council (AC) accepted ARIN-prop-343:<br>
> > > Resource Issuance to Natural Persons as Draft Policy. <br>
> > > <br>
> > > Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4 is below and can be found at:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > <a href="https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/2025_4" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/2025_4</a><br>
> > > <br>
> > > You are encouraged to discuss all Draft Policies on PPML. The AC will<br>
> > > evaluate the discussion to assess the conformance of this draft policy<br>
> > > with ARIN's Principles of Internet number resource policy as stated in the<br>
> > > Policy Development Process (PDP). Specifically, these principles are:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > * Enabling Fair and Impartial Number Resource Administration<br>
> > > * Technically Sound<br>
> > > * Supported by the Community<br>
> > > <br>
> > > The PDP can be found at:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > <a href="https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/pdp/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/pdp/</a><br>
> > > <br>
> > > Draft Policies and Proposals under discussion can be found at: <br>
> > > <br>
> > > <a href="https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.arin.net/participate/policy/drafts/</a><br>
> > > <br>
> > > Regards,<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Eddie Diego<br>
> > > Policy Analyst<br>
> > > American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)<br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > Draft Policy ARIN-2025-4: Resource Issuance to Natural Persons<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Problem Statement:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > ARIN policies currently restrict the issuance of number resources to<br>
> > > organizations. This limits access for individuals who are running networks<br>
> > > under their own legal name, especially in regions where forming or<br>
> > > registering a business is not required or feasible. Other RIRs such as<br>
> > > RIPE NCC allow individuals to receive resources directly. ARIN should<br>
> > > consider similar flexibility to ensure equal and consistent access to<br>
> > > Internet number resources for all operators, regardless of legal<br>
> > > structure.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Policy Statement:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > This proposal introduces explicit policy text into the NRPM to allow<br>
> > > number resource issuance to natural persons (individuals) who provide<br>
> > > valid justification and identity verification.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Amend NRPM Section 2 to add the following definition:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > 2.18 Organization<br>
> > > <br>
> > > An organization is a company, corporation, partnership, sole<br>
> > > proprietorship, government agency, non-profit entity, educational<br>
> > > institution, or a natural person acting in a capacity consistent with<br>
> > > operating a network and who meets ARIN’s resource eligibility criteria.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Comments:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Sections 4.2, 5.1, and 6.5 shall be interpreted to allow “organizations”<br>
> > > as newly defined in Section 2.12, thereby including individuals where<br>
> > > appropriate.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Staff may develop identity verification and residency requirements<br>
> > > appropriate to individuals (e.g., government-issued photo ID and proof of<br>
> > > address).<br>
> > > <br>
> > > All resource justification, utilization, and RSA signing requirements<br>
> > > remain unchanged.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > There has been extensive discussion of this topic on the ARIN Public<br>
> > > Policy Mailing List (PPML) in April 2025. Participants have cited<br>
> > > inconsistencies and barriers created by reliance on state-level business<br>
> > > registries, and called for more inclusive eligibility mechanisms similar<br>
> > > to other RIR regions. The proposal addresses these concerns while<br>
> > > maintaining accountability and justification requirements.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Timetable for implementation:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Recommend implementation within 3–6 months of ratification to allow ARIN<br>
> > > staff and legal counsel to develop supporting processes.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > Anything else:<br>
> > > <br>
> > > This proposal does not reduce the level of justification required to<br>
> > > obtain resources, but merely expands eligibility to natural persons who<br>
> > > operate networks and meet all existing technical and usage criteria.<br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > <br>
> > > _______________________________________________<br>
> > > ARIN-PPML<br>
> > > You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to<br>
> > > the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List (<a href="mailto:ARIN-PPML@arin.net" target="_blank">ARIN-PPML@arin.net</a>).<br>
> > > Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:<br>
> > > <a href="https://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-ppml" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-ppml</a><br>
> > > Please contact <a href="mailto:info@arin.net" target="_blank">info@arin.net</a> if you experience any issues.<br>
> > <br>
> > <br>
> > -- <br>
> > ===============================================<br>
> > David Farmer <a href="mailto:Email%3Afarmer@umn.edu" target="_blank">Email:farmer@umn.edu</a><br>
> > Networking & Telecommunication Services<br>
> > Office of Information Technology<br>
> > University of Minnesota <br>
> > 2218 University Ave SE Phone: 612-626-0815<br>
> > Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029 Cell: 612-812-9952<br>
> > =============================================== <br>
> > <br>
> > _______________________________________________<br>
> > ARIN-PPML<br>
> > You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to<br>
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> > Please contact <a href="mailto:info@arin.net" target="_blank">info@arin.net</a> if you experience any issues.<br>
> > <br>
> > <br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> ARIN-PPML<br>
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</blockquote></div></div>