APNIC policy discussions affect organizations running networks in the Asia Pacific region. The outcomes control the criteria APNIC uses to make decisions about delegating IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers to Members, their obligations for managing and continuing to use them, and their right to transfer them if they are no longer needed.
Although the Secretariat assists in the Policy Development Process and implements the policies, it is not the body that decides the policies. Twice a year, the community takes its mailing list discussions and comes together in person to reach agreement on proposals for new policy controls, or to change existing ones.
The APNIC Policy SIG (Special Interest Group) is responsible for discussing and deciding policy changes. The SIG is an informal group and has no real ‘membership’. Anybody who joins the mailing list or participates in the discussion at an APNIC Conference is considered a member. Everybody has an equal right to participate in the decision-making process — it doesn’t need to be part of your job. You don’t need specialist knowledge; you just need to have an opinion about the best way to manage resources for the benefit of the entire community.
The Policy Proposals are made available for discussion on the Policy SIG mailing list at least four weeks before they are presented at the Open Policy Meeting at an APNIC Conference.
Sumon Sabir, Chair of the APNIC Policy SIG, has set the deadline for the submission of proposals to be discussed at APNIC 44 in Taichung, Taiwan.
Proposals submitted by Monday, 7 August 2017 will be discussed on the mailing list from 11 August and then discussed at the Open Policy Forum in Taichung on Thursday, 14 September 2017.
If you are interested in the management of Internet number resources in the Asia Pacific region, you should subscribe to the Policy SIG mailing list and participate in the discussion, both on the list and later at the Open Policy Meeting, either in person or by remote participation.
Guide to proposing a change to APNIC policy
Becoming a proposal author for the first time can seem a little complicated and even intimidating for people not familiar with the workings of the Policy SIG. To help SIG participants feel comfortable with the process, the Secretariat has developed a detailed guide for proposal authors.
Even if you don’t have a policy change to suggest, you can still get involved in the discussion about proposals put forward by others. Subscribe to the mailing list and join in.
Learn all about the APNIC Policy SIG by watching this short presentation about the Policy Development Process:
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.