[arin-ppml] Q1 - ARIN address transfer policy: why the triggerdate?

[michael.dillon at bt.com]

> isn't this inevitable in times of shortage, regardless of the 
> shade (regulated or unregulated) of the market that 
> inevitably occurs when humans face shortages?  if it is, then 
> our choice is not whether a market appears, but rather, 
> whether that inevitable market is regulated or unregulated.

The IP address trading market has already appeared. It is already
regulated by the fact that it is an illegitimate black market and
that has kept the level of activity down to a murmur.

What makes you think that the proposals for ARIN to tinker directly
with this market will improve it in any way?

Yes, humans do certain things when shortages arise, but only a fool
would starve to death when there are an abundance of weeds, tree leaves
and grass to eat. In the same way, only a fool would let their network
starve from a lack of IPv4 addresses when there is an abundance of IPv6
addresses free for the taking.

All the talk of address scarcity is about a mirage, something that has
been engineered by the IP networking community. There is no real
shortage
of IPv4 addresses. There is no real scarcity and never will be. Every
network operator has a choice to start using IPv6 addresses, or to
pretend
that they do not exist and play the role of someone suffering from
scarcity.

The fundamental problem that we are wrestling with is one of human 
psychology. It is all about fear of the unknown. Too many people in the
IP networking industry are so afraid of the unknown IPv6 future that
they
are willing to create a scarcity situation and then suffer through that
scarcity period. In the end, there is no need for scarcity and no need
for
suffering. In the end, the suffering will stop when networks start using
IPv6
in earnest. But why wait 'til spring? Do it now! Let's all get beavering
away
and shift our lumbering networks into the future.

--Michael Dillon