ARIN-prop-316: Streamlining Section 11 Policy Language
Date: 15 June 2022
Proposal Originator: Alison Wood, Alyssa Quinn, Anita Nikolich (The ARIN Advisory Council Policy Experience Working Group)
Problem Statement:
Section 11 of the NRPM contains a great deal of language that is either explicitly not policy, or is not impactful on ARIN’s administration of Internet number resources for experimental allocations, or to the customers requesting said resources. A revision to transform Section 11 into a collection of policies for experimental allocations serves to make the Section more easily digested by the reader, and a more functional reference for customers and ARIN staff during experimental allocation requests.
Policy statement:
Section 11 overview
Current text:
- Experimental Internet Resource Allocations
ARIN will allocate Numbering Resources to entities requiring temporary Numbering Resources for a fixed period of time under the terms of recognized experimental activity.
“Numbering Resources” refers to unicast IPv4 or IPv6 address space and Autonomous System numbers. The following are the criteria for this policy:
Proposed text:
ARIN will allocate Numbering Resources to entities requiring temporary Numbering Resources for a fixed period of time under the terms of recognized experimental activity. “Numbering Resources” refers to unicast IPv4 or IPv6 address space and Autonomous System numbers.
The following are the criteria for this policy:
Section 11.1
Current text:
11.1. Documentation of Recognized Experimental Activity
A Recognized Experimental Activity is one where the experiment’s objectives and practices are described in a publicly accessible document. It is a normal requirement that a Recognized Experimental Activity also includes the undertaking that the experiment’s outcomes be published in a publicly accessible document at the end of the experiment. The conditions for determining the end of the experiment are to be included in the document. Applicants for an experimental allocation are expected to demonstrate an understanding that when the experiment ends, the allocation will be returned; a successful experiment may need a new allocation under normal policies in order to continue in production or commercial use, but will not retain the experimental allocation.
A “publicly accessible document” is a document that is publicly and openly available free of charges and free of any constraints of disclosure.
ARIN will not recognize an experimental activity under this policy if the entire research experiment cannot be publicly disclosed.
ARIN has a strong preference for the recognition of experimental activity documentation in the form of a document which has been approved for publication by the IESG or by a similar mechanism as implemented by the IETF.
Proposed text:
11.1. Documentation of Recognized Experimental Activity
A Recognized Experimental Activity is one where the experiment’s description and objectives are described in a publicly accessible document. The experiment’s outcomes must be published in a “publicly accessible document” that is publicly and openly available free of charges and free of any constraints of disclosure. Outcomes must be published within one year after the end of the experiment. The conditions for determining the end of the experiment are to be included in the document. When the experiment ends, the allocation will be returned. A successful experiment may need a new allocation under normal policies in order to continue in production or commercial use, but will not retain the experimental allocation.
ARIN will not recognize an experimental activity under this policy if the entire research experiment cannot be publicly disclosed.
Section 11.2
Current text:
11.2. Technical Coordination
ARIN requires that a recognized experimental activity is able to demonstrate that the activity is technically coordinated.
Technical coordination specifically includes consideration of any potential negative impact of the proposed experiment on the operation of the Internet and its deployed services, and consideration of any related experimental activity.
ARIN will review planned experimental activities to ensure that they are technically coordinated. This review will be conducted with ARIN and/or third-party expertise and will include liaison with the IETF.
Proposed text:
11.2. Technical Coordination
ARIN requires that a recognized experimental activity is able to demonstrate that the activity is technically coordinated. Technical coordination includes consideration of any potential negative impact of the proposed experiment on the operation of the Internet and its deployed services, and a description of experimenter mitigation plans to contain any negative impacts.
ARIN will review planned experimental activities to ensure that they are technically coordinated. This review will be conducted with ARIN and/or third-party expertise.
Remove Section 11.3
Section 11.4
Current text:
11.4. Resource Allocation Term and Renewal
The Numbering Resources are allocated for a period of one year. The allocation can be renewed on application to ARIN providing information as per Detail One. The identity and details of the applicant and the allocated Numbering Resources will be published under the conditions of ARIN’s normal publication policy. At the end of the experiment, resources allocated under this policy will be returned to the available pool.
Proposed text:
11.4. Resource Allocation Term and Renewal
The Numbering Resources are allocated for a period of one year. The allocation can be renewed on application to ARIN providing information as to why an extended time is necessary for a successful experiment. The identity and details of the applicant and the allocated Numbering Resources will be published under the conditions of ARIN’s normal publication policy. At the end of the experiment, resources allocated under this policy will be returned to the available pool.
Section 11.5
Current text:
11.5. Single Resource Allocation per Experiment
ARIN will make one-off allocations only, on an annual basis to any applicant. Additional allocations to an organization already holding experimental activity resources relating to the specified activity outside the annual cycle will not be made unless justified by a subsequent complete application.
It’s important for the requesting organization to ensure they have sufficient resources requested as part of their initial application for the proposed experimental use.
Proposed text:
11.5. Single Resource Allocation per Experiment
ARIN will make one-off allocations only, on an annual basis to any applicant. Additional allocations to an organization already holding experimental activity resources relating to the specified activity outside the annual cycle will not be made unless justified by a subsequent complete application.
Section 11.6
Current text:
11.6. Resource Allocation Fees
ARIN may charge an administration fee to cover each allocation made of these experimental resources. This fee simply covers registration and maintenance, rather than the full allocation process for standard ARIN members. This administration fee should be as low as possible as these requests do not have to undergo the same evaluation process as those requested in the normal policy environment.
Proposed text:
11.6. Resource Allocation Fees
ARIN may charge an administration fee to cover each allocation made of these experimental resources. This fee simply covers registration and maintenance, rather than the full allocation process for standard ARIN members. This administration fee should be as low as possible as these requests do not have to undergo the same evaluation process as those requested in the normal policy environment.
Section 11.9
Current text:
11.9. Resource Request Appeal or Arbitration
ARIN reserves the ability to assess and comment on the objectives of the experiment with regard to the requested amount of Numbering Resources and its technical coordination. ARIN reserves the ability to modify the requested allocation as appropriate, and in agreement with the proposer. In the event that the proposed modifications are not acceptable, the requesting organization may request an appeal or arbitration using the normal ARIN procedures. In this case, the original proposer of the experimental activity may be requested to provide additional information regarding the experiment, its objectives and the manner of technical coordination, to assist in the resolution of the appeal.
Proposed text:
11.9. Resource Request Appeal or Arbitration
ARIN reserves the ability to modify the requested allocation as appropriate, in agreement with the proposer. In the event that the proposed modifications are not acceptable, the requesting organization may request an appeal or arbitration using the normal ARIN procedures. In this case, the original proposer of the experimental activity may be requested to provide additional information regarding the experiment, its objectives and the manner of technical coordination, to assist in the resolution of the appeal.
Timetable for implementation: Immediate