US CODE: Title 15, Chapter 1, Section 2.

[Tim Bass]

A few comments:

> Aggregation is a fact of life.  

Of course aggregation for large networks is necessary.  Klinerock and Kamoun
showed this in 1977... not much new information is this opinion, considering
this has been well documented in packet switched networks for over
20 years.  This is not about aggregation, my friend.  Phone calls
are aggregated, but no one charges for area codes and prefixes;
and it is illegal under current US Laws  to create a process where
users cannot switch providers without technical difficulties.

> 
> Blocks do need to be allocated by geography, either physical or at least
> topologically.  A central registry makes sense for that.  Now if you want

Yes, geographic addressing can be made into a much more pro-competitive
paradigm than provider based address aggregation.  However, the IAB
and the IETF have been vituperously behind provider based addressing
(understandable considering most members are either vendors or
 providers).

In my opinion, global internetworking cannot be managed in a pro-competitive
process by the NSF transition style of encouraging private industry
to take over every single aspect of the registration process.  We
in the US are taxpayers and have some rights, do we not?  
Running a registry for something as important as allocating 
IP address space should be, in my opinion, paid for by US taxpayer funds, 
Congress.   Small businesses are the backbone of the US economy and
I do not believe for one minute the FTC nor Justice will support
a process in the Internet paradigm that favors large businesses
over smaller ones or one that puts smaller providers at a disadvantage
vs. larger ones.


There can be little doubt, however, the current method of routing
IP has be causal to creating a non-competitive process, de-facto.
The InterNIC with support from IETF are proposing to make this
anti-competitive paradigm de-jure.

I can prove to the Antitrust Division of DoJ and the FTC that a
pro-competitive IP routing paradigm can be created.  However,
please do not expect me to publish this paradigm in IETF. I will,
however, share the technical details with DOJ or the FTC 
if requested.

Best Regards,

Tim Bass 
IEEE Member

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