[arin-ppml] ARIN-prop-172 Additional definition for NRPM Section 2 - Legacy Resources

[Owen DeLong]

On Jun 12, 2012, at 6:54 AM, Milton L Mueller wrote:

> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>>> [Milton L Mueller] See above. I guess you have forgotten the context
>>> of this discussion. There is a policy proposal to define legacy
>>> resources in a specific way. Opponents of this new definition have
>>> insisted that ARIN holds rights over the exchange of those resources
>>> and are rejecting the proposed definition because of that.
>> 
>> This is a strawman.  That is not the only or even the common reason why
>> at least some people oppose this proposal.  1) It codifies practices and
>> applies retroactively in a way inconsistant with current and previous
>> practice, in that requires a written agreement.
> 
> [Milton L Mueller] huh? ARIN has no authority other than its written agreements. 
> 

No, ARIN also controls the contents of the databases it maintains, both public and private.

Fortunately, ARIN uses that control judiciously and in compliance with community driven policies.

>> 2) It extends the scope
>> ot "legacy" status well beyond the current de facto situation.
> 
> [Milton L Mueller] debatable. 

Not really... It's pretty much a statement of fact.

>> 3) It ignores that despite the lack or a written RSA, there was an
>> understanding between ARIN's predecessors and address holders that the
>> addresses were to be used for network numbering and management, were
>> issued on a needs basis, and were to be returned or reallocated if the
>> holder's needs changed. 
> 
> [Milton L Mueller] utterly false, factually. The legacy allocations made in the 1980s did not carry any such implications, you are reading current policies and obligations backwards into history. 

There are direct quotes from Postel contrary to your statement here. Addresses were always issued based on need. The definition of need changed over time as did the ratio  of addresses provided to need, but there was always an understanding along the lines stated above which was included in writing in templates in the late '80s. The fact that it was not written down before then does not mean that it did not exist.

Owen