[arin-ppml] 2014-1 Out of Region Use

[Adam Thompson]

On 14-12-15 12:34 PM, Steven Ryerse wrote:
> I would point out that very clearly, anyone who wanted a /24 got one from Jon, just by requesting one.  I was one of the many folks who requested and received a /24. I also requested 4 consecutive /24's (Class C's) for a larger customer and received those as well.  I'm also reasonably sure that if I had requested a /8 (Class A) - I would not have gotten one - but I would not have gotten zero resources.
>
> The first word in item #1 below is Fair.  I agree we need balance and as I think you know by now I strongly do not think current policy is FAIR at the small end. When big org requests big block they either get a big block or a smaller block.  When medium org requests medium block they either get medium block or they get smaller block. When small org requests small block they either get small block or NO BLOCK.  This is inherently UNFAIR in my opinion.  I see no balance when a small org is discriminated against because they are small and have limited means. Thus Dave and Sue in their garage without the proverbial business plan or whatever to prove their need are shut out - and that is against ARINs Mission.

Adding my $0.02, and to some extent probably setting up a straw-man 
argument:

While I agree that *some* needs-based testing seems reasonable even for 
a /24, I feel the barrier should be minimal - i.e. prove that a legal 
entity exists (including a Legal Person, which can include an individual 
person) and has valid contact information.

In fact, if the needs test were removed altogether for /24s, I would 
expect this scenario to play out:
     - all /24s get depleted rapidly
     - ARIN no longer issues /24s, and continues to employ needs-based 
testing for larger blocks
     - the commercial transfer market becomes the only place to get /24s
     - a market value for /24 rapidly is established and more-or-less 
settles
     - the "Joe & Sue in a garage" client now has two choices:
         a) buy a portable /24 from a transfer market and register it 
with ARIN, if they have the resources to do so, or
         b) accept (and/or negotiate) whatever their ISP gives them, if 
they do not.

This scenario could - potentially - ease ARIN's workload noticeably in 
the very-small end of the spectrum, while allowing the free market to 
control whether a new entrant gets PI space or not.

This works analogously to the way the real-estate market works: if you 
can't afford commercial space, you start in your garage or basement, and 
you move out once you can afford commercial real estate.  If you can 
afford a storefront retail location, go ahead and pay for it - whether 
you ever open up to the public or not, whether you use it or not.
If you can't afford a tiny PI allocation, use whatever your ISP gives 
you.  If you can, go ahead and pay for it - whether you use it or not.


To rebut in advance the usual bogeyman of "but, speculators!": 
counter-intuitively, speculators are not a bad thing.  (See 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defending_the_Undefendable for an 
accessible analysis of how speculators are necessary in a Capitalist 
system.)
Is the company that owns the shopping mall a "speculator"?  What about 
the REITs, developers and other types of companies that buy up land and 
then sell it to individuals?  The function of a "speculator" is to help 
smooth out price fluctuations.  I have no interest whatsoever in seeing 
a "spot" market for PI space.


In short, I would be willing to support removing needs-based testing for 
/24s.  It would harm people like myself, who run an entire ASN off a 
/24, but at the same time would benefit the most typical sort of entity 
(also like myself ;-) who needs a tiny PI block: multi-homed 
organizations who need redundancy but can't otherwise meet the 
utilization threshold.  Their numbers are increasing all the time, and 
are reflective of small- and medium-business numbers overall in North 
America, which in turn (according to multiple gov
t and academic sources) are what drives growth in North America.  I 
don't have any idea what the politico-economic situation is like in the 
Caribbean, so don't make any claims about that.

-- 
-Adam Thompson
  athompso at athompso.net
  Cell: +1 204 291-7950
  Fax: +1 204 489-6515