NRO Number Council
Role
The Number Resource Organization (NRO) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in October 2003, called for the creation of a Number Council. The MoU reads, in part:
“The NRO Number Council shall be responsible for the provision of advice to the Executive Council concerning the ratification of proposed global IP number resource allocation policies.
“The NRO Number Council shall act as a point of consultation to external entities on proposed global IP number resource policies, addressing questions that may be raised concerning such policy proposals, maintaining a dialogue with the entity and the RIRs concerning these proposals as required.
“The NRO Number Council shall develop procedures in an accessible, open, transparent and documented manner for conducting business in support of their responsibilities and submit these procedures to the Executive Council for approval.”
In October 2004, the NRO and ICANN signed the Address Supporting Organization (ASO) MoU, which dictated that the NRO Number Council fulfill the role of ICANN’s ASO Address Council (ASO AC). The ASO AC, consisting of members appointed or elected to the NRO Number Council, will continue to function as a role of ICANN as required in ICANN’s Bylaws.
Address Supporting Organization (ASO)
ASO Formation and Function
The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) is one of three Supporting Organizations called for in the ICANN Bylaws to be “formed through community consensus.” The purpose of the ASO is to review and develop recommendations on IP address policy and to advise the ICANN Board on these matters.
In July 1999, the three currently existing Regional Internet Registries (APNIC, ARIN, and RIPE NCC) submitted a proposal to form the ASO on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding. ICANN accepted this proposal on 26 August 1999.
The ASO was subsequently formed on 19 October 1999, when the MoU was signed by representatives of the RIRs and ICANN, during the ARIN IV Public Policy Meeting in Denver. LACNIC and AFRINIC also signed the ASO MoU upon their recognition as RIRs.
Each Regional Internet Registry (RIR) has three members on the Number Council.
Read the Election Guidelines for more information on how NRO NC members are nominated and elected or appointed.
Meetings
The ASO AC conducts monthly teleconferences that are open to observers. These calls are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month. The meeting schedule and further details are available on the ASO website.
Current Members of the NRO NC from the ARIN Region
Kevin Blumberg
Kevin has been the co-owner and CTO of The Wire Inc. in Toronto, Canada since 1999. He currently sits on the Board of the Toronto Internet Exchange as well as on the NANOG Program Committee. His past involvements included being on the Board and Executive of the Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc. from 2010 until 2016. He served on the ARIN Advisory Council from 2012 and served as Advisory Council Vice-Chair in 2015 and 2016. He was then appointed to a partial term on the NRO Number Council in August 2016 and his appointment was extended for one year in 2017. Kevin then received three subsequent three-year appointments for terms beginning in 2018, 2021, and 2024. Kevin’s current appointment ends 31 December 2026.
Alyssa Quinn
Alyssa Quinn has spent her career working on issues of internet governance. She worked at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) from 2018-2022, serving as their Policy Program Manager based in Ottawa, Ontario. She was responsible for coordinating CIRA’s engagement at ICANN, government relations, and interventions into relevant regulatory and legal processes. While at CIRA, she also performed the secretariat functions for the Canadian Internet Governance Forum. Prior to joining CIRA, Alyssa worked as the Policy and Strategy Advisor at Cybera in Calgary, Alberta. Cybera is Alberta’s non-profit research and education network, serving government, K-12 schools, and post-secondary institutions. Alyssa served in a volunteer capacity on the ARIN Advisory Council from 2016-2022. She also sat on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Internet Society chapter and the Montreal Internet Exchange. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Carleton University (2014). Alyssa now resides in the greater Seattle area with her family. She was elected in 2025 for a three-year term ending 31 December 2028.
Amy Potter
Amy Potter is a Principal Technical Business Developer at AWS, focusing on IP address acquisition. Prior to this she spent several years working as an IPv4 broker where she worked with ISPs, hosting companies, data centers, and others to acquire IPv4 address space and navigate RIR transfer policies. Amy helped increase transparency and efficiency in the IPv4 market. Amy has a law degree from the University of Notre Dame, and a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University. She served on the ARIN Advisory Council from 2016 to 2023, and was elected to the NRO Number Council in 2024 for a three-year term ending 31 December 2027.