[ppml] Policy Proposal: Decreasing Exponential Rationing of IPv4 IP Addresses

[Owen DeLong]

On Aug 22, 2007, at 12:51 PM, Dean Anderson wrote:

> On Tue, 21 Aug 2007, Owen DeLong wrote:
>
>> Despite my assurances that I expected ARIN staff to fully evaluate
>> my request as thoroughly as policy required and the same as
>> would be done with any other request, I received approval within
>> a few hours.
>
> A few hours seems pretty short.
>
Not necessarily.  There's really a point of diminishing returns on these
things.  Either the documentation is in order and the request complies
with policy or it doesn't in most cases.  Sure, there are always gray
areas, but, staring at a gray blob for a long time does not make it
darker or lighter, it just causes empty field myopia.

>> I do not believe that ARIN felt in any way rushed to approve my
>> application, and, I do not believe that they left out any steps in  
>> the
>> process.  I believe that my submission of complete, timely, and
>> accurate documentation of a request which conformed to ARIN policies
>> made it easy for them to thoroughly review my request and issue the
>> assignment in a timely manner.
>
> Perhaps. Or perhaps they just feel confident they don't have to look
> closely at your requests.  Or, perhaps if they had spent more time on
> your request, they'd have found something wrong with it.
>
I do not think that ARIN feels any greater or lesser need to evaluate
my applications than anyone else's.  I believe they work very hard
to be as fair and equitable as possible.

>>>> What do you want ARIN staff to do?
>>>
>>> Now they have time to look as hard as they want.
>>>
>> I am quite convinced that this is already the case.
>
> I'm not.
>
What, exactly, is it that you think prevents them from looking at an
application as long as they want?  I have had applications take
anywhere from same day (this most recent one) to several months.
At no time have I seen any indication that ARIN bows to any form
of time pressure to approve a request, although, once a request
is approved, I have seen them bend over backwards to accommodate
urgent needs to complete the rest of the process.

In fact, I believe that the approval process at ARIN takes pretty
much as long as it takes no matter what you do.  The only way
to get your approval faster is to submit a well documented
request that conforms to the policies and guidelines under
which ARIN operates.

>>>> Are you the guy that likes the doctor to rip the bandage off real
>>>> quick or do you like them to pull it slow as they can?  Sounds like
>>>> you like your pain stretched out.  Most people don't.
>>>
>>> Try telling that to the heroin addict.  Ever wonder where the
>>> Hospitals get the heroin to give to addicts?  I do.
>>>
>> Hospitals do not give heroin to addicts.  At least not in the US.  In
>> some cases, they give methadone, but, methadone is not the same as
>> heroine.
>
> Ah. Thanks.
>
>>> How do you want your Oil supply handled?  Do you want to just run
>>> out one day? Surprise! All the gas stations are closed. For good.
>>> As you see the last guy locking up shop, you say "What the hell!!".
>>>
>> I think that is the most likely scenario, but, there is a difference.
>>
>> Oil is a consumable.
>
> Its a limited resource that will run out someday.
>
>> When you run out of oil, your car stops functioning. The internet  
>> does
>> not stop functioning when we run out of available IP addresses.
>> Parts of the internet stop growing when we run out of available IP
>> addresses.
>
> "New business" stops functioning.
>
No.  New business never started functioning and continues to not
start functioning, at least not on IPv4 the way that old businesses
have functioned and continue to function.

> When we run out of oil, civilization won't end; The human race  
> won't be
> extinguished.  But it might still be bad for society if done suddenly.
>
>> Please enumerate these crises and explain how that is true.
>
> I think that has been done. The guy from comcast gave an example
> yesterday.
>
>> 1.  I do not believe IPv4 free pool exhaustion creates any crisis.
>
> Well, then, if there aren't going to be any crises when we run out,
> there certainly won't be any crises from rationing.
>
Crises, no.  Hardships, yes.  However, rationing does not eliminate
these hardships or reduce them in any way.  In fact, all rationing  
actually
does in this case is guarantee that the hardships happen sooner
and last longer.  OTOH, without rationing, things continue as they
are without any artificial hardships.  Then, one day, we can't issue
new addresses to newcomers.  To me, this has little difference
in effect from when you go to a store and they are sold out of
a discontinued item.  It's not a hardship.  It's not a crisis.  It's
just the way things go.  Sure, the person who wanted to buy
said item is SOL, but, c'est la vie.

I sort of ran into this just last night.  A local office products store
was selling 32" LCD Televisions for $399.  Unfortunately, the
only one they had left was the floor model which had some
cosmetic damage to the case, but, was in perfect working
order.  They gave me 10% off of the price, and, I became the
last person to get that deal on one of those TVs in my area.
(They're still selling them on line for $699).

The next person who wants one will not get one.  Such is life.
I couldn't get a new one in a box like I wanted.  Such is life.
So it will be with IPv4 addresses after the free pool runs out.

Owen