[ARIN-consult] Consultation on ARIN Fees

[Richard Laager]

I think we're on the same page that there are four categories relevant here:

1: Legacy holders with no agreement: $0

2: Legacy holders with older LRSA: $125 + $25/year until regular fee; 
takes e.g. 300 years.

3: Legacy holders with newer (L)RSA: ARIN proposed $125 + $25/year until 
regular fee; takes e.g. 300 years. I proposed: $125 + something/year 
until regular fee; takes e.g. 10 years.

4: Non-legacy holders with RSA: regular fee


You have noted that category 1 is significant. But if ARIN is not able 
or willing to compel them to pay fees, that's mostly irrelevant for this 
discussion. I realize that raising fees on category 3 disincentives 
organizations in category 1 from signing, but if they haven't by now, 
I'm not sure what else can be done to make them (and this isn't that 
discussion anyway). If fees are the reason, you can't unring that bell; 
they presumably understand the stated intention to harmonize fees 
whether you actually make this move now or not, and on what schedule.

I didn't see any answer to my question about whether categories 2 + 3 
are material on fees. I want to be pragmatic here; if this is costing 
category 4 organizations $10/year more, it's probably not worth arguing 
about. But absent an answer, I guess I'll assume it is material?


Legacy holders who moved from category 1 to 2 or 3 by signing an LRSA 
might consider that to have been a bad idea and that the results are 
unfair relative to their original state 1, now that they're being asked 
to pay more. While I understand their position, I have little sympathy 
for it, given that they are asking others to subsidize them indefinitely.

I do have sympathy for them regarding a sudden large increase. A one 
year jump seems unreasonable. That's why I proposed a longer, but still 
reasonable timeframe of e.g. 10 years. Whatever happens, I also 
encourage ARIN to work with any that wish to voluntarily accelerate the 
transition, as David Farmer brought up.

I, as someone who works at a company in category 4, consider the 
continued existence of the other categories inequitable. Legacy holders, 
in many cases, received large allocations (which, if not fully utilized, 
now have significant resale value). We can't change that, any more than 
the fact that some organizations previously received allocations from 
ARIN for free and now we have to pay on the transfer market. (My 
employer has both.) But that's different from an ongoing inequitable 
annual cost recovery, which can be addressed.

You have been "handling it as if [the $25/year cap was] present for all 
LRSA agreements to maintain equitable fees for similar customers in 
comparable situations". I understand that you consider "legacy resource 
holder" to be "similar customer" here. From my perspective, we are all 
similar customers. (I realize that category 1 is a bit different, as 
they may not get full ARIN services.)

Removing the $25/year cap from the agreements was not an accident. ARIN 
did this for a reason, AFAIK specifically to allow eventually 
harmonizing the fees. Now you are there, but you are proposing to not do 
so even in cases (category 3) where you could.

I maintain my position that you should harmonize the fees faster, where 
contractually permitted.

-- 
Richard

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