[arin-ppml] Proposal insanity --- an open letter

[John Curran]

On Feb 23, 2011, at 3:18 AM, Tony Hain wrote:
> 
> If it is a defacto routing registry, then policy proposals need to recognize
> the implications of that. Continuing the two-faced 'we say nothing about
> routing' while at the same time all policy proposals are judged by 'the
> impact on routing will be ...' is not helping promote the perception that
> the RIRs are independent. Playing the 'we tell you it isn't a registry'
> while simultaneously recognizing it is 'the defacto routing registry for the
> region' is not helping either. 

Tony - 
 
  Some ISPs pay attention to what is registered in Whois and some 
  don't.  Some also pay attention to actual routing registries and 
  some don't.  Some filter out bogon routes and/or traffic, and some 
  don't.  Some do a form of RPF for routing protection, and some don't...
 
  This is just reality.  Shortly, we'll be able to add "Some do route
  preferences based on the RPKI, and some don't".  Welcome to the 
  private-sector led Internet operational model.

> At the end of the day, the inherent conflict of interest between 'those that
> have and want to keep others out, and those that want in' has been placed
> squarely in ARIN's lap. While resources were abundant it was not too hard to
> get community agreement on who would be denied a seat at the table, though
> arguably there probably was never a valid reason to have a minimum size
> allocation. While I can hear the screams about routing table size, the
> intentional deaggregation by those who got the resources exposes the fallacy
> in the argument. In any case, ARIN is in the position where 'legally' there
> has to be a disconnect between resource management and operational practice,
> but 'practically' they are tied at the hip because the members who pay the
> most insist on getting the results that favor them. 

  "The members who pay the most?"  Actually, the largest ARIN 
   members have the same voice as the smallest in the policy 
   development process and the Board & AC elections.  In fact,
   the policy development is open to anyone with an interest 
   in the policies in this region, via PPML and both onsite 
   and remote during the Public Policy Meeting.  This is a 
   process that favors quantity of folks with similar beliefs, 
   not size.  

/John

John Curran
President and CEO
ARIN