[arin-ppml] simple question about money

[Milton L Mueller]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Howard, W. Lee [mailto:Lee.Howard at stanleyassociates.com] 

> Integers aren't oil.  Even if they were analogous, I'm not
> convinced energy policy is related to the price of oil, or
> that it should be in any significant way.

Astonishing. I'm just going to assume that you didn't really mean that
last assertion, because it is indefensible and I don't see any point in
pursing it. 

IP addresses are more than "integers." They are unique and exclusive
assignments of "integers" which perform a function in a data network. In
the context of a market for Internet connectivity, they have economic
value. The laws of supply and demand apply here, as they do to all human
products. We don't need to get into a debate about that, any more than
we do about whether the earth is flat or gravity exists. There are many
possible ways to manages a resource, and ARIN's existing fee structures
and policies may be good, bad or somewhere in between -- but let's not
frame a discussion of them by jumping off a social science cliff and
denying that everything we know about the relationship between prices
and resources doesn't apply.

> Also, there is a policy proposal under discussion that may
> be relevant: http://www.arin.net/policy/proposals/2008_2.html

Yes. I have already mentioned that proposal in connection with this
thread. I think authorizing address transfers is an essential move to
make now, but we do need to understand its implications and how to do it
properly.

> If we want to assess our fixed costs and our transaction costs,
> we could spend a few hundred thousand dollars in consulting and
> develop a more finely-tuned system.  

Or, you could listen to people in the policy and economics community who
are working on the problem who charge you nothing. Some of our ideas may
be wrong, some may be helpful, 

> > It seems to me that the two biggest policy issues facing RIRs 
> > today are address transfers (in effect, the creation of a 
> > much-needed private secondary market to move scarce v4 
> > addresses from underutilized allocations/assignments to those 
> > who need them more) and the costs or fees associated with 
> > granting assignments or allocations. 
> 
> I encourage you to get more involved!

Thanks! that's what I'm doing.