[Advisors] request: What is a community network

[Evan Leibovitch]

I would absolutely maintain nonprofit status in the criteria.

A non-profit can also give back to the community in grants and programs.
The significant difference here is one of governance stability and
ownership.

A for-profit can always be taken over by owners who are entitled to change
the organization's core values, reroute excess income to themselves (in the
form of dividends) and overhaul the Board should they wish. Ownership can
be bought and sold, reducing long-term stability of objectives. A competing
ISP can make a purchase offer the owners can't refuse, then shut down any
community involvement.

A nonprofit structure carries none of these threats. Nonprofits can be run
as excess revenue producers, but that revenue *must* be put back into the
advancement of the group's objectives. In a for-profit such philanthropy is
merely optional and the first casualty when times get tough.

And remember, we're coming from a starting point of "no paid staff".
Demanding that for-profits be accepted is likely too much of a shift to be
acceptable to the established ARIN stakeholders.

​- Evan​
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