[arin-ppml] ARIN-prop-136 Services Opt-out Allowed for Unaffiliated Address Blocks

[John Curran]

On Feb 26, 2011, at 5:19 AM, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> OK, then next question.  Right now ARIN is still handing out IPv4.

Note: ARIN provides space to meet 3 months need, whereas the specified
transfer policy allows a party to transfer space to meet 12 months of
their documented need.

> Thus there is no incentive for a would-be buyer wanting IPv4 to
> go to the lawyer for a bankrupt ISP that is sitting on that /17,
> because he can simply go to ARIN and ask for the numbers.

There is presently some demand, by parties who are thinking that 
12 months now (via transfer might be better 3 months, even "free")

> In other words, because the transfer cannot take place unless the
> legacy resource is under LRSA, and once under the LSRA any transfer
> obligates the receiver to start paying fees, to paraphrase
> one of our great authors  "..I don't see no p'ints about that IPv4 that's any better'n any other IPv4...."

The fees are $100/year, so it's minimal barrier.  The LRSA itself
(discussed here at length, let's not revisit now) appears to be a
larger impediment.

> So, it is likely that the lawyer isn't going to bother putting the
> block under LRSA (unless you tell him to do that or lose it) right now - because it's not worth anything - right now.

Hmm. Hard to tell, since putting under LRSA makes clear that the 
resource is valid and potentially available. 

> So I then have to ask you John, in ARIN's opinion, based on the work
> it's already had to do on invalid POC's, is there a rather large amount of legacy IPv4 that is sitting out there in limbo, waiting for ARIN to
> run out of addresses, so they can, as you put it, "...put the resource under LRSA and make use of the specified transfer policy to monetize it..."

Independent of the invalid POC work, there is an a very large amount 
of potential address space that might come in for transfer.

> Are we going to see a big flushing of limbo legacy IPv4 transfers
> on to the "market" in the months after ARIN announces it's assigned
> it's last IPv4?  

Quite possibly.  We may also see holders under RSA deciding that they
also want to free up resources for the specified transfer policy.

/John