[ppml] Policy Proposal 2003-15: IPv4 Allocation Policy for the Africa Portion of the ARIN Region

[Owen DeLong]

--On Thursday, September 25, 2003 11:19 AM +0200 Adiel AKPLOGAN 
<adiel at akplogan.net> wrote:

> Hello,
>
>> Right.  That's why I think AfriNIC is vaporware for now and we should
>> not set ARIN policy exceptions based on the theory that eventually
>> AfriNIC (whatever it may become) would possibly adopt said policy.  If
>> ISPs in Sub-saharan Africa want to be handled by the Afri-mini registry
>> within RIPE, I don't see a problem with transferring that responsibility
>> from ARIN to said mini-registry.
>
> Let me clarify some inappropriate assumption here about AfriNIC:
>
> o AfrNIC as organization and AfriNIC as RIR is not a vaporware.

Vaporware (n): A product or service which, while announced and hyped
does not yet exist or function in the real world.

How does AfriNIC RIR not fit this definition?

> The Afrinic Initiative certainly start in 1997, but a lot of progress
> was done since then. Our main goal is to get a global consensus
> on everything we are doing. Africa is very particular...we have differents
> culture, differents language, differents colonization background...an so
> and so.. We need to bring everybody together to have a very strong and
> sustainable organization.

Fine.  However, you haven't done it yet, so, for now, it remains vaporware.

> Today all of these differences are behind us. And AfriNIC is an African
> organization supported by the whole community, and on the
> process of becoming a recognize RIR www.afrinic.org
>
That's fantastic.  Sounds like you're close to getting out of the vaporware
stage, but, you're not there yet.

> o AfriNIC is not running any mini-registry at RIPE. AfriNIC team
> are being trained at RIPE as they will probably be at ARIN too.
> This is to help during transition from the two different policies
> to AfriNIC own one.
>
OK... Either way, I support the transfer of authority to set policy for 
Africa
to AfriNIC when AfriNIC becomes RIR.  In the mean time, AfriNIC still isn't
an RIR, and, I don't think ARIN should set policy based on what AfriNIC
may or may not do at some indeterminant point in the future.

>> However, until that happens, I still don't
>> see justification for creating an exception instead of fixing the policy
>> for everyone.
>
> The justification is that ARIN is serving two different region
> (Continent). And unfortunately the two have a totally different
> political, social and economical background. You can not design a
> business model for America and African using the same figure...try it you
> will loose. This should be applicable for Internet 'PUBLIC' resource too.
>
But ARIN isn't about business models.  It's about stewardship of the IP
public resource.  There is  a need for a shorter prefix allocation in
North America.  There is a need for a shorter prefix allocation in
Sub Saharan Africa.  There are providers in North America that are ten
times the size of the largest providers in Sub Saharan Africa that need
these smaller allocations.  Their business models are radically different,
but, their IP needs are very similar.  One ARIN policy that moves the
prefix allocation boundary from /20 to /22 would serve both communities
well.  A policy that only does it for Sub Saharan Africa would serve
only one of these communities.  ARIN has a mandate to serve both communities
until AfriNIC becomes an RIR.

>> On Wed, 24 Sep 2003, Gregory Massel wrote:
>> Why does a NIC need offices in 4 countries?
>
> Please read the rapport on the web site.
> http://www.afrinic.org/Kampala-15062003-Report-Back.txt
>
>> RIPE seems to have _an_  office in The Netherlands.  A
>> RIN seems to have _an_ office in VA.
>
> LACNIC has 3 offices and they running very well. We are
> not oblige to follow North American or Europe administration model.
> We have our own realities...and we are dealing with them to
> better serve our community.
>
Agreed.  LACNIC should set policies that work for LACNIC's region.
ARIN should set policies that work for ARIN's region.  Currently, ARIN's
region is North America and Sub Saharan Africa.  Therefore ARIN policies
should serve the whole region.  When AfriNIC becomes an RIR serving
sub-saharan Africa, they can set whatever policies they feel they need.


Owen