[rpd] [Last Call] Draft Policy Proposal - Hierarchical Names for New AS-SETs (AFPUB-2026-ASN-001-DRAFT02)

[Mphoentle Mokheseng]

Dear PDWG Chairs,

I object to AFPUB-2026-ASN-001-DRAFT02.

The Internet has always succeeded by minimizing the amount of centralized authority required for independent networks to interoperate. Coordination is necessary. Governance beyond what coordination requires is not.

This proposal may appear modest, but it reflects a broader trend that deserves scrutiny. We increasingly treat every operational preference as something that must be standardized through policy simply because the registry is capable of administering it. That reverses the proper relationship between operations and policy.

Policy should emerge from established operational reality. It should not be used to manufacture it.

The burden is on the proposer to demonstrate that an existing technical deficiency cannot be addressed without creating a new policy obligation. I do not believe that burden has been met. No compelling evidence has been presented that current AS-SET naming practices threaten uniqueness, registry integrity, interoperability, or the stable operation of the Internet.

The fact that a naming convention may be desirable does not make it an appropriate subject for mandatory registry policy.

Every additional policy expands the registry's sphere of interpretation and administration. Individually these expansions appear harmless. Collectively they normalize the idea that the registry should increasingly prescribe operational behaviour rather than simply coordinate shared technical resources.

That is a direction we should resist.

The registry's legitimacy comes from performing a narrowly defined technical function exceptionally well, not from continuously enlarging its policy surface. We should preserve that distinction. Institutions are strongest when they exercise only the authority that is demonstrably necessary, and no more.

For these reasons, I object to AFPUB-2026-ASN-001-DRAFT02.

Kind regards,
Mphoentle
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