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On 22 Jul 2021, at 11:04 AM, <a href="mailto:arin-consult@arin.net" class="">arin-consult@arin.net</a> wrote:<br class="">
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(127, 127, 127, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">From:
</b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Owen DeLong <<a href="mailto:owen@delong.com" class="">owen@delong.com</a>><br class="">
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(127, 127, 127, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">Subject:
</b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">Re: [ARIN-consult] Consultation on ARIN Fees</b><br class="">
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(127, 127, 127, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">Date:
</b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">22 July 2021 at 11:04:29 AM EDT<br class="">
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(127, 127, 127, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">To:
</b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">Adam Thompson <<a href="mailto:athompso@athompso.net" class="">athompso@athompso.net</a>><br class="">
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<span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif; color:rgba(127, 127, 127, 1.0);" class=""><b class="">Cc:
</b></span><span style="font-family: -webkit-system-font, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;" class="">William Herrin <<a href="mailto:bill@herrin.us" class="">bill@herrin.us</a>>, <<a href="mailto:arin-consult@arin.net" class="">arin-consult@arin.net</a>><br class="">
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Sure, but lots of people repeatedly talk about ARIN (and other RIRs) as if their policy is law.
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<div class="">I think it is important for the community to remember and be aware fo the true status and the</div>
<div class="">actual power structure rather than assume that the RIRs are some form of governmental</div>
<div class="">authority.</div>
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Indeed. ARIN is simply an instantiation the community’s desire for mutual coordination of Internet number resources. Such coordination could be done via other means – e.g. call up every other provider to see what’s in use, and then assign yourself whatever
is free – but such an approach becomes logistically challenging when number of the parties is large, hence a more centralized “registry” approach. </div>
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<div class="">I don’t want governmental authority in charge of numbering (which would most likely take</div>
<div class="">the form of an ITU takeover of the process), but I do want people to be aware of the</div>
<div class="">true balance of power in that if an RIR oversteps its role as a registry too far or becomes</div>
<div class="">too egregious in its actions, the community of those who control routers is utterly and</div>
<div class="">completely free to replace it and there is precious little that ICANN or the RIRs would</div>
<div class="">be able to do about it.</div>
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The predicate of your statement (the existence of a consensus among f a significantly large portion of the community who control the routers) would presumably be equally capable of obtaining control of the RIR in question and directly addressing the relevant
issues – such an approach being far more predictable and having a higher chance of success than “pushing the reset button” on the entire model...<br class="">
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<div class="">I do not think things have reached that point and I am not advocating forking the internet</div>
<div class="">at this time, but I also don’t think it is a good idea to let misunderstandings of this true</div>
<div class="">nature stand, either.</div>
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<div>I’m unclear what “misunderstanding” you’re responding to - Adam himself said: "ARIN and the entire NRO system is hardly unique, or even special, in this regard. We follow the RIR model because it's easier to do that than to fork the entire internet.” –
suggesting nearly the very same point.</div>
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<div>In any case, this entire thread has run far fast the point of being germane to discussion of ARIN suggestions and consultations, and I’d suggest we now return the mailing list to that purpose so that we don’t lose those who subscribe under that assumption.</div>
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<div>Thanks!</div>
<div>/John</div>
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<div>John Curran</div>
<div>President and CEO</div>
<div>American Registry for Internet Numbers</div>
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