APNIC and Policy Development Process (PDP)
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APNIC's Senior Regional Advisor, Membership and Policy, Sunny Chendi, presented an introduction to APNIC and the policy development process at APIGA India 2025 held in Delhi, India on 21 and 22 March 2025.
APNIC and Policy Development Process (PDP)
- 1. 1 APNIC and PDP APIGA India 21 March 2025 Srinivas (Sunny) Chendi
- 2. 2 What is APNIC? The Regional Internet address Registry (RIR) for the Asia Pacific region • Manages Internet number resources – Including IPv4 and IPv6 addresses – Registration, security and certification • Supports regional Internet development • A neutral, independent, not-for-profit, open membership- based organization, since 1993 2
- 4. 4 4 Vision: “A global, open, stable and secure Internet”
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- 6. 6 6 Our Community • As an open, membership-based, non-profit organization, APNIC serves Members and other stakeholders throughout the Asia Pacific region • Our Members, who fund and support the activities of APNIC, include network operators, service providers, and enterprises that rely on Internet number resources and other services of APNIC in their activities • Our broader community includes all Internet stakeholders, including individuals, governments, institutions and organizations with an interest in the Internet
- 7. 7 7 Registry Allocate and register Internet number resources in the Asia Pacific region
- 8. 8 8 Development Assist in the sustainable development and growth of the Internet in the Asia Pacific region
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- 11. 11 11 Engagement Encourage and support diverse community cooperation in building an open and stable Internet
- 12. 12 12 • The Network of Networks The Internet is a Series of Networks
- 13. 13 13 Names and Numbers The Internet 2001:0C00:8888:: 2001:0400::12 www.apnic.net 202.112.0.46 2001:0400::12 My Computer www.apnic.net www.apnic.net 202.112.0.46 2001:0400::12
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- 15. 15 15 Where do IP addresses come from?
- 16. 16 16 • National Internet Registry • Telcos, ISPs, Mobile Operators • Hosting Company (Amazon/AWS, Azure, GCP, Linode) • Universities, Government Departments, Banks So, who gets IP address and AS numbers?
- 17. 17 17 • “IP addresses are not freehold property” – Assignments & allocations on license basis • Addresses cannot be bought or sold; it’s more like renting • Internet resources are public resources • ‘Ownership’ is contrary to management goals • “Confidentiality & security” – APNIC to observe and protect trust relationship • Non-disclosure agreement signed by staff APNIC Policy Environment 17
- 18. 18 18 What is a Policy? In the APNIC region, a policy refers to the rules and requirements or criteria that one must meet to be eligible to receive IP and ASN resources. A policy proposal is a formal, written submission that outlines an idea for a new policy. If a policy proposal is successful it will become a policy.
- 19. 19 19 Why do we need resource policy? IP address and AS numbers are public shared resources. APNIC policies ensure that these resources are managed properly and distributed with the goal of fairness and consistency in mind. The common aim of a policy is to ensure proper usage of Internet number resources according to the technical and operational needs of the network. This is vital for the continued stable growth of the Internet.
- 20. 20 20 Policy change Policies change constantly. They evolve as the needs of the technical community change Good policy relies on a range of opinions APNIC policies are developed by Members and the Internet community in a bottom-up process of consultation and consensus.
- 21. 21 21 What’s APNIC’s role? • The APNIC Secretariat is the organization that manages resources, implements policy and provides a range of services to the community • APNIC staff o Provide information and support to people who want to be involved in the policy development process o Provide support to the Policy SIG o Help authors to draft proposal wording o Manage the implementation of policy changes o Inform the policy changes to the community
- 22. 22 22 Who can Participate? Policies are developed by and for the Asia Pacific Internet community, which includes the APNIC membership. Anyone can participate in the policy development process for managing and distributing IP addresses. • Whether you are a seasoned network engineer, a decision maker, a student in the IT field, or a user of the Internet, you can join the discussion. You are invited to be part of this development process.
- 23. 23 23 Why participate? • It is an opportunity to learn and share experiences and best practices in the Internet • Policies affect your organization’s operating environment and are constantly changing • Ensure your organization's needs are represented • It’s a great way to build your profile and contribute to the Internet • You can directly impact the way APNIC manages Internet number resources • Make these policies work for your networks and future growth
- 24. 24 24 Policy Development Process APNIC policies are developed by the community in a bottom-up approach. This approach is part of the Policy Development Process or commonly referred to as the ‘PDP’. PDP describes the process through which policy proposals are submitted, considered, and adopted by APNIC.
- 25. 25 25 Policy Process What are the key characteristics of the PDP? Open Anyone in the community - Member or not - can propose a policy. This can be a proposed change to an existing policy or a new one altogether. Anyone can participate from the beginning, during the discussion as well as in the decision- making process. Transparent Bottom-up APNIC publicly documents all policy discussions and decisions to provide complete transparency of the policy development process. These documents, the associated discussion in the mailing list, and decisions are freely available for viewing at any time. The Policy Development Process is driven by the Internet community - by those who need and use these resources. It is catered to address the needs and requirements of the Asia- Pacific Internet community. APNIC stays neutral in the process.
- 26. 26 26 APNIC PDP Process and Timelines
- 27. 27 27 Policy SIG Mailing list • Some people think it’s a great idea • Others disagree • The author tries to convince or compromise • The Chairs monitor the discussions and participate as appropriate Subscribe to the mailing list https://mailman.apnic.net/mailman/listinfo/sig-policy
- 28. 28 28 Open Policy Meeting (OPM) • Author presents • People line up at the microphone – Ask questions – Express support – Explain their concerns – Argue and praise • Remote participation is available so those not at the meeting in-person can still fully participate
- 29. 29 29 Consensus Decision Making • Consensus = – “general agreement” taking into consideration comments on the mailing list and at the meeting. • Objections – Minor Objections: • some problems may occur for some members of the community – Major Objections: • major problems will occur for members of the community • Participants should “work together” to resolve objections
- 30. 30 30 Chairs consider many sources • Mailing list discussions • Discussions at the SIG meeting – Incl. remote participants • Show of hands – Not a vote, a way of “broadly gauging opinion” – CONFER assists remote participation • Require one-off registration – The Chair will ask for both Have your say remotely https://confer.apnic.net/
- 31. 31 31 After the Open Policy Meeting (OPM) • Consensus at the Member Meeting • Mailing List Comment Period • EC Endorsement • Editorial Comment Period • Implementation
- 32. 32 32 What’s next? • Subscribe to the mailing list – [email protected] • Review the proposals – https://www.apnic.net/community/policy/proposals/ • Discuss with others – Morning and afternoon tea, lunch, dinner • Participate in Policy SIG Meeting – Check conference program
- 33. 33 Join Orbit • Evolution of mailing lists with social media features • To make active, online participation easier • THE place for the APNIC community to connect, discuss, and share information for APNIC SIGs and working groups, community topics, general discussion and announcements https://orbit.apnic.net
- 35. 35 QUESTIONS? Srinivas (Sunny) Chendi Senior Regional Advisor Membership and Policy [email protected]