ASO AC Update/ICP-2 Consultation#

Amy Potter, ASO Address Council (ARIN region)

• Why: Not a networking topic, but a rare look at hard governance machinery being redesigned in public — derecognition of failing RIRs, emergency continuity, audit triggers — which will shape who holds the keys to Internet number resources for the next decade.
• What: The revised "RIR Governance Document" (ICP-2's replacement, consultation closed 7 November 2025) introduces: recognition of a new RIR without unanimous existing-RIR support if an ICANN-appointed third party finds a dissenting RIR made a material error; derecognition proposals initiable by 2,000 members or 25% of an RIR's membership (whichever is lower) or by ICANN (though derecognition still needs RIR approval); ad hoc audits requestable by RIR majority (previously unanimous), member threshold, or ICANN; mandatory periodic audits at least every three years; a new Emergency Continuity procedure to temporarily transfer an RIR's responsibilities to an "Emergency Operator" (90-day cap, unanimous RIR+ICANN agreement, mandatory published postmortem); a required member dispute-resolution mechanism; and an explicit good-faith clause.
• How: Legal-structural mechanisms — thresholds, third-party review, time-boxed emergency authority with sunset and public review — rather than technology.
• Where applicable: Governance watchers and multi-RIR organizations; clearly shaped by the AFRINIC experience, and the feedback loop was still open at meeting time.