[ppml] Policy Proposal 2003-12: IANA to RIR Allocation of IPv4 Address Space

[Member Services]

ARIN welcomes feedback and discussion about the following policy 
proposal in the weeks leading to the ARIN Public Policy Meeting 
in Chicago, Illinois, scheduled for October 22-23, 2003. All feedback 
received on the mailing list about this policy proposal will be 
included in the discussions that will take place at the upcoming 
Public Policy Meeting. 


This policy proposal discussion will take place on the ARIN Public 
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Member Services 
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) 



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Policy Proposal 2003-12: IANA to RIR Allocation of IPv4 Address Space

IANA to RIR Allocation of IPv4 Address Space

This document describes the policies governing the allocation of IPv4
address space from the IANA to the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs).
This document does not stipulate performance requirements in the provision
of services by IANA to an RIR in accordance with these policies.  Such
requirements should be specified by appropriate agreements among the RIRs
and ICANN.

1.  Allocation Principles

*  The IANA will allocate IPv4 address space to the RIRs in /8 units.

*  The IANA will allocate sufficient IPv4 address space to the RIRs to
support their registration needs for at least an 18 month period.

*  The IANA will allow for the RIRs to apply their own respective
chosen allocation and reservation strategies in order to ensure the
efficiency and efficacy of their work.

2.  Initial Allocations

Each new RIR shall, at the moment of recognition, be allocated a new /8 by
the IANA.  This allocation will be made regardless of the newly formed RIR's
projected utilization figures and shall be independent of the IPv4 address
space that may have been transferred to the new RIR by the already existing
RIRs as part of the formal transition process.

3.  Additional Allocations

A RIR is eligible to receive additional IPv4 address space from the IANA when
either of the following conditions are met.

*  The RIR's AVAILABLE SPACE of IPv4 addresses is less than 50% of
a /8 block.

*  The RIR's AVAILABLE SPACE of IPv4 addresses is less than its
established NECESSARY SPACE for the following 9 months.

In either case, IANA shall make a single allocation of a whole number of
/8 blocks, sufficient to satisfy the established NECESSARY SPACE of the
RIR for an 18 month period.

3.1  Calculation of AVAILABLE SPACE

The AVAILABLE SPACE of IPv4 addresses of a RIR shall be determined as follows:

AVAILABLE SPACE = CURRENTLY FREE ADDRESSES + RESERVATIONS EXPIRING DURING
THE FOLLOWING 3 MONTHS - FRAGMENTED SPACE

FRAGMENTED SPACE is determined as the total amount of available blocks
smaller than the RIR's minimum allocation size within the RIR's currently
available stock.

3.2  Calculation of NECESSARY SPACE

If the applying Regional Internet Registry does not establish any special
needs for the period concerned, NECESSARY SPACE shall be determined
as follows:

NECESSARY SPACE = AVERAGE NUMBER OF ADDRESSES ALLOCATED MONTHLY DURING
THE PAST 6 MONTHS * LENGTH OF PERIOD IN MONTHS

If the applying RIR anticipates that due to certain special needs the rate
of allocation for the period concerned will be different from the
previous 6 months, it may determine its NECESSARY SPACE as follows:

A)  Calculate NECESSARY SPACE as its total needs for that period
according to its projection and based on the special facts that justify
these needs.

B)  Submit a clear and detailed justification of the above mentioned
projection (Item A).

If the justification is based on the allocation tendency prepared by the
Regional Internet Registry, data explaining said tendency must be enclosed.

If the justification is based on the application of one or more of the
Regional Internet Registry's new allocation policies, an impact analysis
of the new policy/policies must be enclosed.

If the justification is based on external factors such as new infrastructure,
new services within the region, technological advances or legal issues, the
corresponding analysis must be enclosed together with references to
information sources that will allow verification of the data.

If IANA does not have elements that clearly question the Regional Internet
Registry's projection, the special needs projected for the following
18 months, indicated in Item A above, shall be considered valid.

4.  Announcement of IANA Allocations 

When address space is allocated to a RIR, the IANA will send a detailed
announcement to the receiving RIR.  The IANA will also make announcements
to all other RIRs, informing them of the recent allocation.  The RIRs will
coordinate announcements to their respective membership lists and any other
lists they deem necessary.

The IANA will make appropriate modifications to the "Internet Protocol V4
Address Space" page of the IANA website and may make announcements to its
own appropriate announcement lists.  The IANA announcements will be limited
to which address ranges, the time of allocation and to which Registry they
have been allocated.