Recommended Draft Policy ARIN-2025-2

Clarify 8.5.1 Registration Services Agreement

Status: Under Discussion
Shepherds: Gus Reese, Kendrick Knowles

Current Text (25 February 2025)

AC Assessment of Conformance with the Principles of Internet Number Resource Policy: Recommended Draft Policy ARIN-2025-2 conforms to the principles of the ARIN Policy Development Process. This policy, if adopted, will allow ARIN the flexibility needed for effective operations by returning the decision to ARIN on what the current version of the RSA regarding transfers under 8.5 in the Number Resource Policy Manual. It is fair, impartial, technically sound and has received support from the community.

Problem Statement:

The current policy mandates that entities receiving transferred resources sign a new RSA unless they have an RSA on file no older than the last two versions. However, defining RSA versioning requirements within the NRPM does not align with the Policy Development Process (PDP) guidelines, as determining which RSA version is considered current is a business decision rather than a policy matter.

Policy Statement:

Remove (within the last two versions) from 8.5.1 to state: The receiving entity must sign an RSA covering all resources to be transferred unless that entity has a current RSA on file per ARIN business practices.

Timetable for Implementation: Immediate.

Staff and Legal Review (15 May 2025)

Staff Understanding: Current transfer policy 8.5.1 defines the current RSA to be “within the last two versions”. ARIN business practices for determination of what constitutes “current” under any given business conditions are constrained by the number resource policy text. The current wording of the policy is overly specific and requires that ARIN either utilize the same definition elsewhere or have inconsistent practices across different business functions.

This Draft Policy will remove “within the last two versions” from section 8.5.1, allowing ARIN the flexibility needed for effective operations.

Implementable as Written?: Yes

Impact on ARIN Registry Operations and Services: None

Legal Review: No material legal issue

Implementation Timeframe Estimate: 3 Months

Implementation Requirements:

• Staff Training
• Updates to public documentation
• Updates to internal procedures and guidelines

Proposal/Draft Policy Text Assessed: 25 February 2025

History and Earlier Versions

Related Meetings