[ppml] Just say *NO* to PI space -- or how to make it less destructive

[Michael.Dillon at btradianz.com]

> If we decide to assign PI space on a non-random basis, we set ourselves 
up
> to be able to do the same thing on less than continental scales *if* it
> becomes necessary at some point.  Hopefully that won't be necessary, but
> IMO non-random PI assignment is a very cheap and easy emergency
> preparedness measure.

Given that intercontinental connections in and out of the
ARIN region tend to be either East coast or West coast,
it would not be much work to take the larger aggregate
and allocate from the top for Western applicants and
from the bottom for Eastern applicants. In the USA, use
the Mississippi as the East-West border. In Canada use
the Ontario-Manitoba border since Canadians traditionally
consider Manitoba to be the easternmost of the western 
provinces.

This is easy to implement and allows for a better than continental
aggregation to be used if a crisis is ever reached. It seems
prudent to me and I doubt that any policy is needed for
this to be done. The ARIN Board of Trustees has the power
to instruct staff on this, and in the past, allocation algorithms
have been adjusted without policy action.

I hope the Board will consider this suggestion seriously
when they review the 2005-1 proposal.

--Michael Dillon