United States Government’s Internet Protocol Numbering Principles

As we continue to transition to the next-generation Internet routing system, it is important to clarify the United States Government’s (USG) position on the development of Internet technical standards and policies:

1. We continue to believe that the proper model for the development of Internet technical standards and policies, including those related to IP numbers, is the multistakeholder model.
2. The five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), via their multistakeholder processes, are responsible for developing policies for the use of IP numbers within their respective specific geographic regions.
3. The American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) is the RIR for Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands, and the United States. The USG participates in the development of and is supportive of the policies, processes, and procedures agreed upon by the Internet technical community through ARIN.
4. The USG supports and encourages the uptake and adoption of IPv6 throughout the IP value chain, and strives to be an early adopter as evident in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Directives for U.S. federal agency IPv6 implementation.
5. Consistent with the policies developed through the current multistakeholder model, the USG believes that all IP numbers are allocated for use on a needs basis and should be returned to the numbering pool when no longer needed.