[ppml] Policy Proposal 2007-8: Transfer Policy Clarifications

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

>-----Original Message-----
>From: ppml-bounces at arin.net [mailto:ppml-bounces at arin.net]On Behalf Of
>Daniel Senie
>Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2007 3:56 PM
>
>Indeed. I'd argue that the present fee structure at ARIN is
>problematic for smaller companies, especially smaller ISPs (since
>multihomed end users don't pay based on their address space size).
>Perhaps a base fee and a fee per event that generates a drain on
>resources (SWIP, support, etc.) would be more reasonable?
>

I disagree, and I think many people here have lost track of the
point of ARIN at all.

We all know ther is a need to manage numbering on the Internet.  Just like
road surface
in the United States, for example.  We need to manage all those cars on that
resource.
So we have this huge infrastructure of traffic tickets, traffic cops,
courts,
lawyers, lawmakers, etc. all with their finger in the road pie, and
fundamentally
trying to help all of us out managing the traffic on the roads so that the
roads
don't become unusable for the normal person.  (except for perhaps a few
police
departments I know of who see their mission as revenue extraction but I
digress)

Now, what pays for this infrastructure is taxes, and insurance costs that
are
mandated, and so on.

Now, lets relate that to IP numbering.  ARIN is out there providing
fundamentally
the same service.  Managing allocations.  Keeping me, for example, from just
throwing
up a BGP advertisement for some random numbers if I happen to need more.
Trying
to keep people from hoarding numbers.  Trying to arbitrate between a bunch
of ISPs
who all basically want to put each other out of business and steal each
other's
customers if they could get away with it.

If for example, some wise ass decided it might be a good idea to get rid of
ARIN and
have AOL and Earthlink manage IP allocations, and numbering, how long do you
think
most small ISPs would last?  Who do you think would get preference for IP
numbering?
Or even more frightening than AOL, Verizon!

Unlike your local revenue-extracting police force, ARIN only has one real
tool to
bring order to the numbering.  And that is charging fees.

The fees ARIN charges are not in any way related to the "resources consumed
for
managing IP addresses"  Hell, if you want to just do that and save some
money,
I'll tell you want, I'll save you a bundle.  I'll fire up a spreadsheet and
charge everyone on the Internet a dollar per /20 per every 5 years.  I'll
track
AS numbers for free.  I won't bother with verifying your using numbers, no
siree!
And in 2 months when all the big boys have sucked all v4 allocations dry,
and
have decided to advertise the subnets that you got assigned 3 years ago,
well
don't bother me about it.  Work it out between yourselves.

The number registry fees have only one justification, and that is as a tool
for
maintaining order.  You charge a lot of money so that when the day comes
that
AOL runs out of numbers and starts to use yours, and doesen't bother with
checking with a numbering authority to see if they are already in use, you
can
go in front of a judge in a courtroom who doesen't know an IP address from a
shoelace and hold up a list of 5000 other organizations who are all paying
ARIN
a sum total of a billion bucks a year for the moral authority to tell AOL to
toe the line, well then as they say, when the chips are down money talks and
BS walks and how long do you think that AOL will be able to fight against
that?

By contrast you hold up a list of 5000 other organizations all paying a buck
every
5 years for their numbers - how long do you think that is going to last
against
AOL?  Haw!

So please no more of this "fees based on usage" that is baloney, we all know
ARIN
and the other registries are purely political organizations, and their fees
are
related to the various political goals of a smooth running Internet, and the
need for a lot of money to use as a club to smash against a lot of people
out
there who couldn't give one whit about the good of the Internet and only
care about
it as a means for enriching their own pockets, and if given a chance, would
knock you permanently off it in seconds.

Ted