Policy Proposal 2008-3: Community Networks IPv6 Allocation - Revised

[Member Services]

Policy Proposal "2008-3: Community Networks IPv6 Allocation" has been
revised. This proposal is open for discussion on this mailing list and
will be on the agenda at the upcoming ARIN Public Policy Meeting.

The current policy proposal text is provided below and is also available
at: http://www.arin.net/policy/proposals/2008_3.html

Regards,

Member Services
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)


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Policy Proposal 2008-3

Community Networks IPv6 Allocation

Author: Joshua King

Date: 18 August 2008

Proposal type: new

Policy term: permanent

Policy statement:


[Add Section 2.8 to the NRPM.]


2.8 Community Network

A community network is a generic reference to any network that is

operated by a group of people living in a particular local area

organized for the purposes of delivery or provision of free or low-cost

network services to the residents of an incorporated or unincorporated

regional municipality, city, town, village, rural municipality,

township, county, district or other municipality or other such

geographic space, however designated. Legal responsibility for the

network as a whole must be held by an organization either possessing

federal non-profit status or fiscally sponsored by a non-profit

organization.



[Modify 6.5.8.1b as follows.]

b. qualify for an IPv4 assignment or allocation from ARIN under the IPv4

policy currently in effect or be a Community Network as defined in

Section 2.8, with allocation criteria defined in section 6.5.9.



[Add Section 6.5.9 to the NRPM.]



6.5.9 Community Network Allocations

6.5.9.1. Initial assignment size

Organizations defined as Community Networks under section 2.8 are

eligible to receive a direct assignment. The minimum size of the

assignment is /48. Organizations requesting a larger assignment must

provide documentation of the characteristics of the Community Network's

size and architecture that require the use of additional subnets. An

HD-Ratio of .94 with respect to subnet utilization within the network

must be met for all assignments larger than a /48.



These assignments shall be made from a distinctly identified prefix and

shall be made with a reservation for growth of at least a /44. This

reservation may be assigned to other organizations later, at ARIN's

discretion.



6.5.9.2. Subsequent assignment size

Additional assignments may be made when the need for additional subnets

is justified. Justification will be determined based on a detailed plan

of the network's architecture and the .94 HD-Ratio metric. When

possible, assignments will be made from an adjacent address block.



6.5.9.3. Number of customers

Community Networks seeking an allocation must demonstrate that they

provide for a user base of at least 100 through connectivity to homes

and businesses, public facilities, public access points, or mobile

users. Community Networks with user bases of under 200 must also submit

a plan for doubling their service base over the next year.



Rationale:

There are currently a number of projects globally that aim to develop

community network infrastructure and related technologies. These are

usually coordinated by volunteer-run, grassroots organizations which

lack many of the resources of traditional internet service providers and

other network operators. They have diverse goals, including public

policy, software development, and implementation of community services

and resources. Many of them provide services free of charge, and thus

lack any paying user base. However, in order to create and maintain

community networks that are often composed of hundreds if not thousands

of inexpensive consumer-grade network devices, a significant amount of

address space will be required. Current-generation workarounds to this

problem, such as NAT, not only make it difficult to develop

next-generation decentralized network technology by segmenting the

community's architecture from the Internet as a whole, but will cease to

be as viable a stopgap as the Internet moves towards IPv6 integration.



Community-based, volunteer-run organizations that are operated with an

eye towards the public good often do not have the resources to qualify

as an LIR under the current policy. They are often multi-homed networks

utilizing multiple, relatively inexpensive consumer-grade internet

uplinks and lacking the funds to meet the qualifications for an IPv4

allocation, but which wish an avenue to develop future IPv6 capability

for their constituent users. By establishing a procedure by which these

organizations can seek to acquire the resources they require for further

development, ARIN can reach out to this active community and establish a

small but definite space for them in the future of Internet.



Timetable for implementation: Immediate.