Summary

  • ARIN’s 2026 survey records 28% choosing higher fees for higher service, compared with 12% in 2023.
  • The same-fees/same-service option remains the majority choice at 59%; the survey does not measure actual willingness to pay.

The notable change in ARIN’s latest customer survey is not a mandate to charge more. More respondents now select a hypothetical package with higher fees and higher service, yet most still choose the existing balance. That distinction matters if the result enters a discussion about service design or fees.

Question 20 in the official report offered three hypothetical trade-offs. In 2026, 28% chose higher fees with better service, 59% the same fees and service, and 12% lower fees with lower service. In 2023, the shares were 12%, 76% and 11%. The report marks the first share significantly higher and the second significantly lower than in the prior wave; rounding explains totals that do not equal 100%.

This is stated preference, not a market test. The question names no service respondents would buy, price they would accept, or organisational decision to pay for an enhanced tier. It also does not ask whether members support a general fee increase. Reading 28% as a demand forecast would exceed the evidence.

ARIN asked customers to choose between paying more for better service and keeping today’s fee-service balance—but named neither an added service nor a price. The split is still striking: 28% picked the hypothetical upgrade, up from 12% in 2023, while 59% chose no change. That is a question for service designers to answer, not an instruction to bill customers.

A meaningful minority nevertheless says better service could justify added cost in principle. If ARIN considers differentiated services, it must specify the added service, incremental cost, eligibility and what remains available at baseline. The survey answers none of those design questions, but gives ARIN a reason to make them explicit before proposing fees. ARIN announced the results on 16 October 2026 in its official announcement.