Superseded Internet Resource Policy Evaluation Process [Archived]

This version of the ARIN Internet Resource Policy Evaluation Process (IRPEP) was effective from April 1, 2001 through January 21, 2004. It was superseded by the new process which came into effect on January 22, 2004.

Principal ( Process Flowchart )

ARIN’s Internet resource policies are ratified by the Board of Trustees only after a full public discussion is held, a recommendation by the ARIN Advisory Council is made, and there is evidence that a consensus for the policy has been reached among the community and ARIN membership.

Process

Individuals who wish to propose new ARIN policies or modifications to existing ARIN policies should submit to the ARIN staff a proposal which clearly describes the proposed policy. The proposal must include:

1. Statement of Proposed Policy, including the specific language to be adopted.
2. Arguments for the Proposal and General Discussion of the Issue.
3. Proposed Timetable for Implementation.

ARIN staff will post the proposal on the ARIN web site in a publicly accessible page and will send a notice to the ARIN public policy and members mailing lists inviting open discussion on the issue.

All proposals, unless deemed an emergency, must be presented and discussed at an ARIN Public Policy Meeting. A proposal need not be presented at a Members Meeting if one is held within three (3) days of the Public Policy Meeting. If more than three (3) days lapse, the proposal must be presented at the next Members Meeting. To be considered for presentation at these meetings the proposal should be submitted to ARIN staff six (6) weeks prior to commencement of the meetings to allow time for it to be posted and an announcement to be sent out at least thirty (30) days before the meetings convene.

If a proposed policy is declared by the Board of Trustees to be an emergency, it need not be presented at either a Public Policy Meeting or Members Meeting, but must be open for discussion on ARIN mailing lists for a period of at least ten (10) working days.

After discussions are held per the methods described above, all proposals will be evaluated by the ARIN Advisory Council. The Advisory Council will consider the discussions and judge the level of consensus in the community in order to prepare a final proposal for consideration by the ARIN Board of Trustees.

The final proposal shall be posted on the ARIN web site on a publicly accessible page, and a “Last-Call for Comments” will be announced on ARIN members and public policy mailing lists for a discussion period of no less than ten (10) regular working days. This period can be extended if sufficient comments are made that warrant further discussion and consideration.

Comments during this period will be collected by ARIN staff and included with the proposal when it is presented to the Board of Trustees for their consideration.

The Board of Trustees will consider the proposal at their next regularly scheduled Board meeting or may call a Special Meeting for the purpose of reviewing policy proposals from the ARIN Advisory Council. The Board will consider the proposal and any comments that were received between the start of the Last-Call period and the date of the Board meeting.

The Board of Trustees may: 1) ratify the proposal as is, 2) ratify the proposal with minor wording changes designed to improve clarity, or 3) return the proposal, with comments, to the Advisory Council to reinsert a revised proposal into the public discussion process described above.

If, after a policy has been ratified and put into effect, the Board of Trustees receives credible information that the policy is flawed, the Board may suspend the policy and request the ARIN Advisory Council to reconsider it and make a recommendation to the Board on how to proceed. This reconsideration must include a call for public discussion as outlined above.