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

[James Hess]

> >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 suggest it's a better scenario than this one...

Do you want to just run out one day?

Surprise! There's still some gas left, but we'll be all out in 10
years, there's a
perpetual line of 3,000 cars waiting to get  into each station.... get in line,
and hope it doesn't run out before it's your turn.

Wait a few months before getting your gas... and by the time it's your
turn in line,
it's 10 years later, and you don't get any, or the ration level has
dropped, so you
only get 0.5 liters, whereas the guy just in front of you went off
with 5 liters..

Now not only did you get insufficient supply, but you had to consume a
lot more time, energy, and $$$ to get it, so did the station, by the
way, and the line will just keep
getting longer and longer the tighter the rationing gets, costing everyone.


If they had just told you they were out, you could more easily move
on, rather than
fight over 0.5 liters of gas 10 years before the supply runs out.


Specifying rationing as a "function," not actually included in the
policy provides no
control or guidance over how bad rationing gets.  In fact, even the
"function" has not
been specified in sufficient detail to see how aggressive this rationing is.

If rationing is to be done, the policy should contain a time table that shows
how many addresses can be allocated over what time periods.


The general rules/procedures that would be utilized to implement such
rationing need
be spelled out, otherwise, the result, the reasonableness, and
material effect on
requestors of address space would seem to be unpredictable.


It remains to be shown that rationing overall has a benefit that
outweighs the negatives and is any better than earlier exhaustion that
rationing attempts to avoid.


--
-J