[ppml] SPAM-WARN:Re: Counsel statement on Legacy assignments?

[Michael Thomas - Mathbox]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ppml-bounces at arin.net [mailto:ppml-bounces at arin.net] On 
> Behalf Of Cliff Bedore
> Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 12:25 PM
> To: ppml at arin.net
> Subject: SPAM-WARN:Re: [ppml] Counsel statement on Legacy assignments?
> 
> I originally sent this to John Curran directly but after reading more
> comments, I thought I'd post it to the group
> 
> 
> As a legacy holder who has recently joined the PPML list, I 
> can see certain
> advantages to joining ARIN.  I'm just not sure of the best 
> way to keep my
> network number safe if I join.  I have a Class C (/24) and 
> use it actively but
> don't use 50% of the numbers at the current time.  If ARIN 
> were to have an RSA
> that lets us join, pay our $100.00 per year and leave us 
> alone with our
> networks, I'd be happy to join.  Do I want to pay $100.00 per 
> year?  No but it
> won't break my small consulting firm and it's probably a good 
> thing to do.  I
> tend to be suspicious of groups that say "We're from the 
> governmet and we're
> here to help you"  I have never seen a 
> government/quasi-government group shrink
> or give up any power/control except at the point of a gun and 
> I expect most
> legacy users feel the same way.  I expect most are willing to 
> take their chances
> by maintaining their "legacy" status of being grandfathered 
> into ARIN's
> in-addr-ARPA service unless there is a very strong specific 
> RSA protecting their
> status quo.  This is not to say that if they need more 
> resources, they should
> have free rein to get them.  People keep working around this 
> but all proposals
> seem to have more stick than carrot.
>  
> It would seem to me that the ARIN leadership needs to look at 
> the way to get
> people to join.  There seems to be no concensus on the list 
> about how to do
> this but if ARIN's goal is to get people to join, they need to take a
> pro-active stance to get it done.  The choices seem to be to 
> leave the legacy
> owners alone and codify their right to ARIN in-addr service 
> or take strong
> action to make them default members of ARIN by whatever means 
> necessary. This
> could go to the point of offering free membership and 
> guarantees of safe harbor
> for existing numbers with limited other benefits (maybe no 
> voting etc) and
> then allow full membership for a nominal fee.
>  
> As others have stated, this is a v4 problem only and will 
> disappear when v6
> takes over.  I think it is to ARIN's advantage as the numbers 
> get tight toward
> the end to have as many as possible legacy folks under the 
> ARIN/other RIRs
> umbrella.  The problems of hijacked legacy numbers will only 
> cost ARIN more
> time and money for lawyers and dispute resolution and I think 
> any action that
> ARIN takes to get legacy users under ARIN should be taken.  This
> would/should/could include free limited membership and any 
> other incentives
> needed.  Is it fair to the newcomers?  In some ways probably 
> not but if they
> have to pay increased fees to cover the costs of dispute 
> resolution because
> the legacy users have not joined, they won't be happy about 
> that either.
>  
> I look at this somewhat like Ford's pardon of Nixon.  Was it 
> "fair" for Nixon
> to walk?  No but it was better for the country to get past 
> the embarrassment
> and back to more important things.  ARIN's board needs to 
> decide what is
> really important and take the appropriate action to achieve that.
>  
> Food for thought
>  
> Cliff
>  
> 
> -- 
> Cliff Bedore
> 7403 Radcliffe Dr. College Park MD 20740
> cliffb at cjbsys.bdb.com http://www.bdb.com
> Amateur Radio Call Sign W3CB For info on ham radio, 
> http://www.arrl.org/

Cliff,

I would encourage you to continue to particpate. Likely, there are a lot of
lurkers on the list. Your particpation may help draw them out.

Michael Thomas
Mathbox
978-683-6718
1-877-MATHBOX (Toll Free)