[arin-ppml] [arin-announce] Policy Proposal: Open Access To IPv6

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

Member Services wrote:
> Please be advised that the following policy proposal has been
> posted to the ARIN Public Policy Mailing List. All discussion of the
> proposal must take place on the PPML.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Member Services
> American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)
> 
> 
> ## * ##
> 
> 
> Policy Proposal Name: Open Access To IPv6
> 
> Proposal Originator: Stacy Hughes and Cathy Aronson
> 


We (my org) does not support this proposal as written.

Speaking as the admin of an ISP who just obtained a /32 from
ARIN a week ago, it is poppycock that the existing requirements
are at all onerous.

Take the 200 end site assignments.  Granted, we are an existing
ISP so we can qual under the "known ISP" clause.  But, IMHO we
ALSO qualed under the "plan for making 200 assignments" simply
by virtue that WE HAVE MORE THAN 200 CUSTOMERS.

The reason I could answer the 200 assignment requirement with
a perfectly straight face is that as soon as we complete the
config changes to our network to fully support IPv6, from that
point on EVERY CUSTOMER will get BOTH an IPv4 AND an IPv6
assignment.  Period!  If their equipment ignores
IPv6 right now, SO WHAT!!  Eventually, the day is going to come
when it will not- and at that time, I want them to plug in their
new router or whatever it is on the end of their circuit and
see it automatically get it's IPv6 number - and not even THINK
that they would have to call us and get it turned on!!

I really think that a lot of people out there STILL don't fully
grasp the sheer size of the IPv6 scheme.

If customers have to request IPv6 to get it from their ISP then
their ISP IS ALREADY UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT.

I fully grasp that IPv6 deployment is a chicken-and-egg issue.
But, consider things from a content providers perspective.

I am Google.  I make money by eyeballs out in Internet-land
on my website.  If I know that every ISP in the world is only
giving their customers IPv6 if their customers ASK for it, then
I am pretty confident that I DON'T HAVE TO GET OFF MY ASS TO
BOTHER SUPPLYING CONTENT OVER IPv6.

By contrast, if every ISP out there is AUTOMATICALLY supplying
dual-stacked IPv4 and IPv6 to EVERY customer - well then things
are MUCH LESS clear.  I am now VERY UNCERTAIN that any given eyeball
out there may at the moment be hitting me via IPv6.  Maybe some
of those eyeballs might be IPv6 only - after all, if everyone in
Internet-land HAS AN IPv6 NUMBER then I just don't know.

That FEAR of losing a customer is what is going to drive me to
offer my content via both IPv6 and IPv4.  NOTHING ELSE.

I think it's IMPERATIVE that EVERY ISP running IPv6 natively
proceed to assign IPv6 to their customers JUST DO IT.

What do you have to lose?  Do you really think that you will
run out of IPv6 numbers?

So, please explain in any logical fashion why any network with more
than 200 customers (or a plan for 200 customers in the next
5 years) thinks it cannot meet that 200 customer IPv6
assignment requirement.


Ted