Shaping the Future of ARIN Policy: Why Your Voice Matters
The ARIN Advisory Council’s (AC) Policy Engagement Working Group is currently conducting a Policy Engagement Survey to better understand how the Internet community wants to participate in the Policy Development Process. Whether you’re a veteran of the Public Policy Mailing List (PPML) or someone who has never submitted a proposal, we welcome your feedback on how the AC can best engage with our community.
Much of the general public might assume that the inner workings of the Internet, including how Internet number resources are allocated, are automated processes. But for those participating in Regional Internet Registry communities, it is a hands-on, human-driven endeavor.
The AC leads the efforts that ensure the policies governing these processes reflect the needs of the organizations using the resources (IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers). But because ARIN operates under a bottom-up, multistakeholder model, that policy engine doesn’t function unless the community helps turn the gears.
Visit https://arin.net/ACsurvey to share your feedback. The survey is open now until 27 February 2026.
Here’s a breakdown of what the survey covers:
Assessing Our Current Tools
For years, policy discussions have happened primarily in two places: on the PPML (an email-based mailing list) and at ARIN’s spring and fall Public Policy and Members Meetings (held both in person and virtually).
The first part of the survey asks about your experience with these traditional channels. By understanding why people don’t participate in the Policy Development Process now, the AC can identify potential solutions. We tackle these questions up front so we can understand how you engage currently as we start exploring improvements to the current methods of gathering community input.
New Ways to Connect
The meat of the survey focuses on eight suggestions from the working group for new engagement methods. For each suggestion, we ask you to rate both the impact (how much it would influence your engagement level) and the priority (how soon ARIN should consider implementation).
Policy Sessions at NANOG
Hold a standing policy session at NANOG each October before the fall ARIN Public Policy and Members Meeting.
Policy-Specific Surveys
Create a standardized, public survey for every new Draft Policy, where you can quickly vote “Support” or “Oppose.” If you provide specific reasons for your vote, they will be summarized and shared on the PPML for the whole community.
Direct Engagement
Some policies can be technically dense or only affect a specific set of users. This proposal would create “Use Case Workshops” such as a webinar to hammer out the details of complex policies.
ARIN Policy “Help Desk”
Writing a policy proposal is intimidating. The ARIN Policy Help Desk pairs you with an AC member to help you draft your idea and ensure the necessary technical details are included for maximum chance of success.
Monthly Policy Digests
A monthly digest will summarize policy activity, feedback received, and changes made from the last month, allowing you to stay informed without having to read every single email on the PPML.
Virtual Office Hours
Virtual drop-in sessions where you can talk directly to an AC member in a casual, ARIN staff-supported environment to get your questions answered.
Self-Service Training
On-demand videos that explain how to write a policy or how to navigate the Number Resource Policy Manual.
Your Thoughts Here
The survey ends with an open box. If there is a tool or method we haven’t thought of, this is your space to suggest it!
Why Complete the Survey?
The Advisory Council’s goal is to turn this survey data into a prioritized, actionable list. We don’t want to craft solutions to problems that no one experiences or pursue a solution that no one will use. Instead, we want to identify real problems and provide solutions that will make it easier for our community to have a say in how Internet number resources are managed.
The survey is completely anonymous and will only take a few minutes to complete, so we hope you will take the time to provide your candid insights.
Post written by:
Any views, positions, statements, or opinions of a guest blog post are those of the author alone and do not represent those of ARIN. ARIN does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or validity of any claims or statements, nor shall ARIN be liable for any representations, omissions, or errors contained in a guest blog post.
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