[arin-discuss] ARIN Fee discussion

[Michael Smith]

Hello:

On Oct 12, 2007, at 12:50 PM, Edward Lewis wrote:

> At 22:53 -0400 10/10/07, Howard, W. Lee wrote:
>
>> ...Maybe you could
>> say BT, InterNAP and Neustar are big players (in different
>> ways).  The folks from BT, InterNAP and Neustar posted a
>> combined total of 5 messages of the 150 so far this month.
>
> Speaking for myself as the DRM for NeuStar...I've read all of the
> messages but  there hasn't been much to comment on.  Some messages
> are rather enlightening - exposing to me perspectives I don't get
> from where I sit.  But some messages devalue the list.
>
> What I have been inspired to think is "how important is the fee
> level" when it comes to encouraging or discouraging IPv6 deployment
> or impacting business models?  Do the ARIN fees for numbering
> resources compare in business impact to the cost of routing the
> traffic on the Internet?  (I ask with a tone of voice that would
> indicate that I would be surprised if the answer is "yes.")
>
"Yes," for some.  :-)  There are many providers who accept default  
routes but still announce ARIN-assigned address space, and many of  
these smaller players see ARIN fees as a real line item in their  
budget.   However, for the 'multi-homing to the DFZ' amongst us, I  
doubt the fees are felt much in comparison to acquiring the hardware  
necessary to accept a routing table that continues to grow.

With that said and as a recipient of a /32 that is visible in the  
IPv6 DFZ, the cost deferral model ARIN is presently using for IPv6  
space feels like the best mechanism for pulling people towards v6.  I  
favor the "carrot" approach and I think a continuance of this model  
will incentive more people to join the hex crowd.

> As someone said earlier, "fees" haven't been given a good thorough
> going over in a long time.
> -- 
>
As a Member-driven organization we should address these things on a  
regular basis, in my opinion.  But, it would be nice to see lots of  
Members in the discussion.  I would love to see lower fees, but quite  
frankly, if I were to propose that to the list I also feel the onus  
is on me to come up with the reasoning as to why they should be  
lower.  Right now, the only reason I have is because "lower is better  
for me."  Since this list isn't about "me" I haven't pushed for lower  
fees.  However, I'll probably "me too" to any cogent argument.  :-)

Regards,

Mike