ARIN Bits: March 2026

By Christina Paladeau – Social Media and Content Specialist

While spring brings fresh starts and new growth, ARIN has been cultivating both since the very beginning of 2026. Now that the season has officially sprouted, let’s dig into what’s been taking root in our community! The first three months of the year have sprouted exciting changes, updates, deployments, and more. In this edition of Bits, we share news from this past quarter and details about upcoming events, including: ARIN’s new logo; ARIN 57 and this spring’s Fellowship Program; enhanced routing security services and Point of Contact linking procedures; upcoming RPKI workshops and other industry events; and much more. Read on to learn about what’s blooming at ARIN and in our community.

Missed any previous editions? Find all past ARIN Bits posted on the blog.

In This Edition

• Join Us at ARIN 57 in Louisville or Online
• Meet the ARIN 57 Fellows
• Say Hello to ARIN’s New Logo!
• Start Using ASPA in ARIN Online
• Understand New Point of Contact Linking Procedures
• Review the New Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM)
• Prepare for 2026 ARIN Elections Participation Opportunities: Check Your Membership Status
• Attend an In-Person ARIN RPKI Workshop or Presentation
• Apply for a 2026 ARIN Community Grant (Soon)
• Find ARIN at Upcoming Industry Meetings and Community Events
• A Tip from Our Registration Services Department
• A Fond Farewell — Twice Over
• Current Draft and Recommended Draft Policies
• Recent Posts on the ARIN Blog

Join Us at ARIN 57 in Louisville or Online

Our next Public Policy and Members Meeting is less than a month away, and we hope to see you there! ARIN 57 will take place 19-22 April at the The Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, for in-person attendees and online for virtual participants joining us via the Zoom webinar platform. Click here to register.

ARIN 57 will be a great opportunity to:

• Discuss draft Internet number resource policies.
• Participate in technical discussions.
• Hear reports from our Board and Advisory Council.
• Get updates from ARIN staff on topics including Internet governance, routing security, and departmental happenings.
• Network with colleagues.

Plus, Inder Monga (Director of Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Networking Division and Executive Director of Energy Sciences Network for ESnet) and Nick Buraglio (Planning and Architecture Team, ESnet) will present the keynote address, “The Nine Lives of an Early Adopter: Leading Cats to Water in the IPv6 Era.” Don’t miss their exploration of ESnet’s journey from receiving ARIN’s first production IPv6 allocation to building a network fabric where IPv6 is the primary language, including how being an early adopter requires continuous reinvention and community leadership rather than simple mandates. We will also welcome guest speaker Steven Wallace, Director of Routing Integrity for Internet2, for a presentation and demonstration of the RPKI-ROA Planner and RPKI-ROA Visualizer tools developed through a collaboration between CAIDA.org and Internet2.

Those joining us in Louisville are invited to catch up with friends and colleagues and connect with other meeting-goers at our Welcome Reception on Sunday evening. Then, on Monday evening, step up to the plate for the ARIN 57 social event at the Louisville Slugger Museum. During the meeting, visit the on-site ARIN Customer Service Desk, hosted by experienced resource analysts from our Registration Services Department, to get any questions you might have answered.

For in-person attendees interested in learning more about ARIN’s Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) offerings and how they can help secure your resources, we encourage you to attend the RPKI Deep Dive workshop on Sunday, 19 April. ARIN experts will help guide your first Route Origin Authorization (ROA) and/or Autonomous System Provider Authorization (ASPA) and answer any questions you may have about RPKI.

Virtual attendees are encouraged to reach out to our Virtual Help Desk for support. ARIN staff will be just a click away during the first 90 minutes of each day and during our scheduled lunch breaks to help you get answers, troubleshoot any technical issues you experience, and ensure you have all the links and information you need for a successful meeting.

For hotel details, travel information, and more, visit the ARIN 57 website.

Prepare to Participate

No matter how you plan to attend the meeting, save the date for the ARIN 57 Meeting Orientation on Tuesday, 14 April, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET. You’ll have the option of signing up for this virtual session during your registration. Whether it’s your first ARIN meeting or you’re a regular, we invite you to get an overview of the policies up for discussion, learn more about what to expect during ARIN 57, and find out how to make the most of your meeting experience.

Meet the ARIN 57 Fellows

With ARIN 57 around the corner, that also means it’s time to introduce our next cohort of ARIN Fellows! We’re excited to welcome a new group of community members into this spring’s program. Fifteen Fellows will participate in four virtual sessions, held via Zoom in the weeks leading up to the meeting, before attending ARIN 57 either in person or virtually. The virtual sessions will provide Fellows the opportunity to get immersed into the work of ARIN through presentations, discussions, and Q&As with ARIN leadership so they can feel ready to actively participate in the upcoming meeting.

Read the blog post about this spring’s Fellowship Program to get to know the selected Fellows. 

Say Hello to ARIN’s New Logo!

On 28 March, ARIN unveiled its first logo update in 24 years. The refreshed design features three right-pointing arrows that represent the three areas of ARIN’s service region — Canada, the United States, and many Caribbean and North Atlantic countries — while symbolizing our mission to move the Internet forward. The new logo aligns with our Public Policy and Members Meeting branding, creating visual consistency across ARIN touchpoints. While our visual identity has evolved, our commitment to the community and our core mission remain unchanged. You’ll see the new logo across our website, communications, and at ARIN 57 in April.

Learn more about the new ARIN logo on the blog.

Start Using ASPA in ARIN Online

ARIN’s implementation of Autonomous System Provider Authorizations (ASPA) is now fully available in ARIN Online as part of the RPKI security features, allowing holders of an Autonomous System Number (ASN) to authorize other ASNs as their provider networks. Similar to a Route Origin Authorization (ROA), an ASPA object may only contain one Customer ASN — if your organization has multiple ASNs, you’ll need to create a unique ASPA object for each one. Creating an ASPA is straightforward using the RPKI dashboard. Visit our ASPA documentation or watch a three-minute tutorial video for complete step-by-step instructions.

Understand New Point of Contact Linking Procedures

In January, ARIN introduced a new, more secure ticket-based workflow for Point of Contact (POC) linking that operates entirely within ARIN Online’s authenticated environment. The legacy email-based approval process has been decommissioned — when a user now requests to be linked to an existing POC handle, ARIN Online generates a POC Link Request ticket that existing users linked to that POC can approve or deny directly in their account. This change strengthens security, improves transparency, and gives organizations greater visibility into who is authorized to act on their behalf. To ensure smooth POC linking going forward, organizations should verify that their POC records are current and linked to active ARIN Online accounts.

Read this blog post for details on the new workflow and situations that may require ARIN staff assistance.

Review the New Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM)

The ARIN Board of Trustees adopted the following policy at its meeting on 15 December 2025:

• ARIN-2025-2: Clarify 8.5.1 Registration Services Agreement

This policy is now in effect; the latest version of the ARIN Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM 2026.1), effective 3 March 2026, is available here. Interested in learning more about the ARIN Policy Development Process? Check out a video overview here!

Prepare for 2026 ARIN Elections Participation Opportunities: Check Your Membership Status

Voting in this year’s ARIN Elections may be months away, but the calendar of important participation opportunities and deadlines begins next month! Stay tuned to our Election HQ page for the 2026 ARIN Elections calendar.

All ARIN customer organizations with Internet number resources under an ARIN Agreement may choose to participate in ARIN governance by requesting General Membership. To help ARIN fulfill its mission, we rely on our General Members to participate in ARIN Elections for the ARIN Board of Trustees and Advisory Council and the Number Resource Organization Number Council (NRO NC). This involvement is both a chance to empower representation that aligns with your interests and to play an essential role in supporting the Internet number registry system and the Internet as a whole.

General members must participate in ARIN Elections to maintain their status (organizations that have not cast a ballot in any of the previous three ARIN Elections will be reclassified as Service Members and may reapply for General Member status at any time)*. To be eligible to vote, General Member organizations must have a valid designated Voting Contact and be in Good Standing (no outstanding/overdue fees) 45 days prior to the start of the elections.

Learn more about the importance of participating in ARIN governance and how to request General Membership in this blog post: ARIN Membership Explained: What It Means and Why It Matters.

*Organizations may submit a blank ballot. Your participation in the elections will still be recorded, and the organization will maintain General Member status.

Attend an In-Person ARIN RPKI Workshop or Presentation

ARIN staff will be bringing Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) expertise directly to network operators across the region this spring with a series of workshops and presentations at industry events. Whether you’re just getting started with routing security or looking to deepen your implementation knowledge, these sessions offer valuable opportunities to learn from ARIN’s technical team and connect with peers who are navigating the same challenges.

On 13 April, Brad Gorman will present “RPKI Basics for Network Operators: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Use It” at TORNOG 1 in Toronto. The following day, Jon Worley heads to the Internet2 Community Exchange in Chicago to deliver “Route with Confidence: Practical RPKI at ARIN for Today’s Network Operators.”

Looking ahead to May, Brad returns with ARIN’s comprehensive Deep Dive: RPKI workshop — first in partnership with ABQNOG in Albuquerque on 7 May, then at CHI-NOG 13 in Chicago on 27-28 May. These hands-on workshops provide in-depth training on RPKI implementation and best practices.

Learn more about all these opportunities in our Events Calendar.

Apply for a 2026 ARIN Community Grant (Soon)

Next month we will issue the call for applications for the 2026 ARIN Community Grant Program, which provides financial support for operational and research projects that improve the overall Internet industry and Internet user environment. The program has awarded nearly $350,000 since its start in 2019, supporting 25+ projects for Internet technical improvements, registry processes and technology, informational outreach, and research. We look forward to supporting more projects that benefit the ARIN community this year and encourage you to apply if you think your project seems like a good fit!

If you are thinking about applying, take a look at past grant recipients to get a sense of the types of projects we typically fund and carefully read through all the selection criteria to ensure your project can meet them. Plus, you can tune in to ARIN 57 on 21 April to hear project reports from the three 2025 Grant Program recipients, along with details about the application process from Senior Project Manager Amanda Gauldin.

Learn more and stay tuned for 2026 application information on the Grant Program page of our website.

Find ARIN at Upcoming Industry Meetings and Community Events

In addition to the ARIN events we host — like our Public Policy and Members Meetings and ARIN on the Road workshops — we attend many community events where you can join us to hear updates and presentations, ask us questions, get help with your ARIN account and resources, and more. Here’s where you can find us in the next few months:

• CanWISP | 30 March-1 April | Toronto, Ontario
• TORNOG 1 | 13 April | Toronto, Ontario
• Internet2 Community Exchange | 13-16 April | Chicago, Illinois
• CaribNOG 31 | 14-15 April | Jamaica
• Midwest Broadband Operators Conference | 13 May | Indianapolis, Indiana
• CHI-NOG 13 | 27-28 May | Chicago, Illinois
• NANOG 97 | 1-3 June | Bellevue, Washington

For a full list of the events ARIN will be participating in, visit our Community Event Calendar online.

A Tip from Our Registration Services Department

Do you use RPKI? Are you planning to complete an 8.3 Transfer Between Specified Recipients Within the ARIN Region or an 8.4 Inter-RIR Transfer to a Specified Recipient? Before you do, please take a moment to review this blog post: Everything 8.3 & 8.4 Transfer Source and Recipient Organizations Need to Know. This overview will help you understand the steps necessary to ensure a clean transition between resource holders and prevent any routing downtime.

A Fond Farewell — Twice Over

This March, ARIN said a heartfelt goodbye to two longtime staff members who have each left a lasting mark on our organization.

Tammy Rowe, Accounts Receivable Manager

After nearly 26 years of dedicated service, Tammy Rowe retired from ARIN on 6 March. Tammy joined ARIN in 2000 as an Accounting Assistant and grew into the role of Accounts Receivable Manager within our Financial Services Department (FSD) — a position she held with distinction since 2017. Her wholehearted commitment to her work and her teammates made her an irreplaceable part of the ARIN family.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Kirk put it simply: “I have seen her put her heart into everything she does. I appreciate her and everything she has done to make FSD and ARIN successful.”

Tammy reflected warmly on her time here: “I am sincerely grateful for the culture of teamwork we built together at ARIN and for the exceptional people I was proud to call my work family. Thank you, ARIN, for making this experience so meaningful.”

We wish you all the best in this new chapter, Tammy — thank you for everything you brought to FSD and to ARIN.

Reggie Forster, Director of Operations

After six years of dedicated service, Reggie Forster retired from ARIN on 23 March. Reggie joined ARIN in 2020 as Senior Operations Manager before stepping into his role as Director of Operations for the Engineering Department in 2023.

“It was wonderful having Reggie head up Operations for six years,” said Chief Technology Officer Mark Kosters. “His experience helped us in promoting more rigor in our processes, increasing our capacity, and ending his tenure with successfully creating a new data center for our provisioning system.”

Reggie shared this about his time at ARIN: “The ARIN family has been one of my favorite experiences over the past 48 years of working full-time. This is a great organization and environment to work in.”

We wish you all the best in your retirement, Reggie — thank you for everything you brought to the Engineering Department and to ARIN.

Current Draft and Recommended Draft Policies

Find the status of current policy discussions on our website and subscribe to the ARIN-PPML (Public Policy Mailing List) to voice your opinions. Remember, membership is not required to participate!

Recent Posts on the ARIN Blog

• ARIN’s Refreshed Logo: Honoring Our Past, Embracing Our Future
• Introducing the ARIN 57 Fellows
• Peering Market at a Glance: Trends, Transformations, and the Regional Dynamics of Internet Interconnection
• Shaping the Future of ARIN Policy: Why Your Voice Matters
• IP Addresses Through 2025
• A Launchpad for Engagement: An ARIN Fellowship Program Experience
• Introducing a More Secure, Streamlined Workflow for Point of Contact Linking
• Grant Report: Measuring Internet Abuse via IP Addresses
• ARIN Reaffirms Regional Support at the Connected Caribbean Summit 2025
• What Is More Energy-Efficient: IPv4 or IPv6?

Recent blogs categorized under: ARIN Bits

• ARIN Bits: December 2025
• ARIN Bits: September 2025
• ARIN Bits: June 2025
• ARIN Bits: March 2025