ARIN I Members Meeting - March 20, 1998 [Archived]

On Friday, March 20, 1998, the first ARIN member meeting was called to order at 9:05 AM by Kim Hubbard, President. There being no minutes to present, Ms. Hubbard proceeded to submit the meeting agenda, which was duly adopted by the members.

In introductory remarks, John Curran, Chairman of the Board, provided a brief overview of the history and current status of ARIN, characterizing the transition from NSI as “smooth”. He reported that ARIN’s application for tax exempt status had been finalized and thanked Randy Bush, in absentia, for his efforts on behalf of the organization during its formative period.

As the newly appointed Treasurer, Ken Fockler, has not yet assumed the duties of that office, John presented the Treasurer’s Report. As the first quarter comes to a close, the report finds ARIN at or slightly ahead of budget projections. In the discussion surrounding the financial report, it was determined that members will, in the future, receive a quarterly or bi-annual accounting report.

Alec Peterson, speaking on behalf of the Advisory Council, reported on the first Meeting of the Advisory Council, held December 13, 1997 in Washington, DC. During that and subsequent working sessions, the AC recommended a procedure to submit nominations to the Board of Trustees to fill vacancies on that body as they occur. In addition, the AC recommended a modification of allocation policy that would enable more multi-homed organizations to obtain address space directly from ARIN. Other projects currently under study include the AC selection process, micro-allocation, IP address reclamation, possible amendments to the by-laws, and the relationship between ARIN and the IANA.

In response to a request for recommendations from the members, a general discussion followed, adding other items to the AC’s future working agenda. These items include: policies for allocating space for hosting companies, working with backbone providers on the issue of filters, and routing policies. An exchange of ideas via the mailing list is the next step in bringing these items to the fore.

Following a brief discussion about routing issues, Kim Hubbard announced that ARIN has been approached on the subject of ARIN’s starting a routing registry. Both RIPE and APNIC maintain routing registries. Kim will gather information on costs, manpower and other details.

Next, ARIN staff members Jennifer Nash and Patrick Rapp presented reports to the membership. Ms. Nash presented statistical data on allocations and Mr. Rapp provided information on operational issues, including the transition of the database following separation from the InterNIC, the establishment of Whois.arin.net, and plans for the future. Such plans will encompass work on the database, the implementation of Oracle, and the modification of templates.

The statistical reporting discussion was introduced next. AC member, Bill Darte, directed discussion, reminding members that ARIN will provide statistics and other information to the membership based on the needs and guidance of the members themselves. Member feedback on this matter is encouraged.

Some members expressed a desire to share information from the mailing list with others in their organizations. It was determined that organizations wishing to do so may broaden the distribution of mailing list material by using a role account address.

Moving on to another topic, some members expressed concern about the method of payment currently accepted by ARIN for address registration. Under current policy, space is not allocated until payment is received. Members representing larger organizations indicated that such a requirement imposes an undue hardship due to the difficulty of obtaining checks on short notice. Those BoT members present explained that the overriding need for ARIN to remain solvent now and in the future dictates payment policy. It was recommended that larger organizations plan ahead for allocation needs and initiate the purchase order process in advance of need so that address allocations can be obtained or increased without delay when the need arises.

A point of discussion arose regarding the possibility of increasing registration fees to automatically include membership dues. While that idea did receive some support, there was a consensus that the payment of the $1000 membership dues represents an “investment” that demonstrates commitment on the part of active participants. The current structure offers participants a more clear cut choice as to level of interest and participation.

The afternoon session featured a discussion, led by Ed Kern on the subject of utilization. Under present policies, there are limited ways in which the utilization of IP addresses currently allocated to an ISP can be measured. The members were asked to provide feedback regarding alternate methods that might be employed in the future to determine how space is utilized. Utilization, it was stated, gets to the heart of the issue of address allocation. Effective utilization is essential to operational efficiency and directly impacts the way business is conducted in the industry.

Many members see an increasingly educational role in the future of ARIN. Kim Hubbard noted that ARIN embraces the ideal of educating the Internet community in IP related matters and will work on this.

Improved communication between ARIN and its members was a shared goal of most of the members in attendance. While the mailing list is currently the main channel of communication, it was thought by many to be under-utilized at present. There was a desire to get a real “dialogue” going in the near future so that many of these issues could reap the benefit of many minds at work.

Plans for developing improved communications media include a periodic newsletter and the establishment of a “Members Only” web page. Members also recommended that ARIN develop a public relations presence to provide the public and others in the industry with information about the mission and activities of ARIN.

In the next order of business, Alec Peterson announced that a vacancy on the Advisory Council resulting when Doug Humphrey moved into a Board position has created the necessity for a special election. Members present at the meeting defined the eligible voting population as all ARIN members whose dues are current . Once a slate of candidates is formed, based on open nominations among the membership, an election will take place in which each member has one vote per council vacancy. A process for tabulating votes and handling various tie situations was discussed and agreed upon. There was discussion on the topic of Advisory Council membership without ARIN membership. Members were reminded that making the opportunity for service on Advisory Council open to participation by knowledgeable people, with expertise on IP related issues, was a positive goal. Ultimately, however, AC members are selected by the members themselves using whatever criteria they consider important in the selection process.

As the final order of business, Kim Hubbard reported that she, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees, was prepared to respond to the recently published government green paper on the topic of future Internet Governance. Ms. Hubbard reported that the position favored by the Board was to recommend the insertion of a Global Address Registry between the regional registries and the new corporate entity envisioned in the green paper. GAR, made up of representatives from each regional registry, would ensure that issues such as stewardship of address space and the technical considerations surrounding IP would not be lost in the new structure. By a show of hands, a strong majority of those present authorized Kim to submit the response to the green paper on behalf of the ARIN membership.

Following this discussion, the meeting was adjourned.