I'm not sure where the confusion is ISP. The Kill Code quote you give states explicitly that a Persona can be a Master in a PAN.
The confusion is that not only is English not a hard science, we live in a world with many different languages and even more degrees of competency in said languages.
That same quote is kind of like comparing squares and rectangles.
All squares are rectangles.
Not all rectangles are squares.
Personas can be PAN masters.
But that quote also says that PANs only consist of devices, which a Persona is not.
So, reading directly, a Persona can be a master of a PAN, and at the same time can not be a part of a PAN.
It doesn't really matter what it means to you, or me, or any individual on these forums.
What matters is how it is taken to mean by the most people, and for those that have to answer anyone who doesn't take it in the official manner to know where the confusion is, and how to respond to it if it comes up.
If Shadowrun was simply a "home game," it would matter even less. With Missions trying to be a Living Campaign with the 5E rules though, more clarity is really needed.