ARIN is A Good Thing

[Jim Fleming]

On Friday, March 28, 1997 5:51 PM, Jim Browning[SMTP:jfbb at ATMNET.NET] wrote:
@ This is a public expression of opinion which has also been sent privately 
@ to appropriate governmental organizations...
@ 
@ ----------
@ I am writing this to express ATMnet's support for ARIN (the American 
@ Registry for Internet Numbers) in the strongest possible terms.  It is of 
@ the utmost importance that the allocation of Internet Protocol (IP) 
@ addresses not be jeopardized by the turmoil currently surround the Domain 
@ Name System (DNS), and that immediate steps be taken to move in the 
@ direction defined in the ARIN proposal.  DNS issues are primarily related 
@ to factors such as market leverage, and obtaining any particular domain 
@ name can be viewed as something of a luxury.  IP Addresses, on the other 
@ hand, are of operational concern, and timely and appropriate access to this 
@ resource is absolutely required for the continued growth of the Internet.
@ 

The turmoil surrounding the Domain Name System (DNS)
is going to come to an end as NEW companies are allowed to get
involved in the Registry Industry. Most of the turmoil was caused
by ARIN-like proposals that were not well thought out and which
focused on preserving the Internet governance by a select group
of insiders that do not want to give up control.

Fortunately, most of the companies now entering the Registry
Industry are aware that the infrastructure needed to support
a domain registry is very similar to that needed to handle IP
allocations. Given some time and encouragement, these new
companies will be more than able to support both domain names
as well as IP allocations plus other products and services that
will be introduced to the Registry Industry.

To try to artificially partition these industries simply to preserve
some power structures to give selected people comfortable jobs
without having to be accountable to the market place, the
government, or the Internet community is not in the best interest
of the U.S. Government or U.S. taxpayers who largely funded
much of the Internet development, including the infrastructure
development.

@ Obtaining consensus on any important Internet related topic is 
@ excruciatingly difficult in today's environment.  Nowhere is this more 
@ obvious than in the debates over DNS and IP Addresses.  Fortunately, there 
@ are stark contrasts between the two issues.
@ 

Obtaining consensus when business decision making practices
are used is easy. Obtaining consensus when artificial, market
manipulations are used is excrutiating because business people
see right through the hidden agendas and much of the time is
spent shifting the agendas and redefining terms to try to confuse
the novice observers.

@ The DNS debates are filled with rancor and punctuated by alternative 
@ efforts and litigation.
@ 

This is primarily because the U.S. Government has allowed
itself to be directed by individuals and attitudes which encourage
exclusion and censorship and black listing as the methods used
to try to control the population.  All of these approaches are in
direct opposition to what America stands for, and therefore it
is not surprising that people do not respond well to threats of
having their networks attacked or cut-off of they do not tow the line.

@ While ARIN has been a subject of hot debate, there is nonetheless a rough 
@ consensus within the Internet community that establishing a non-profit 
@ entity to handle the administration of this vital function is both 
@ necessary and appropriate.  Old-timers and newcomers have found some common 
@ ground.  There are of course those who would like to see things taken in a 
@ different direction, as there always will be when something of this nature 
@ is discussed.  There are also issues which still need to be resolved, and a 
@ lot of work which needs to be done.  ATMnet is confident that the people 
@ trying to accomplish these tasks have the necessary skills, ethics and 
@ standing in the community to get the job done right.
@ 

Rough consensus ?...where ?...when people are censored
and encouraged not to post to a mailing list, one can not
conclude that silence equals consensus. Silence equals
fear, and ARIN is being railroaded on fear tactics of the
highest order. I thought that the Domain Name debates
were bad, they were tame compared to ARIN.

Maybe that is because the IP addresses have much more
market value than domain names and there is a more limited
supply. Also, maybe it is because some companies are
sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in unused IP addresses
while ISPs grovel for minimal allocations which cause them
extra expense, cause the router tables to grow, and cause
more administrative costs, just because people want to
control for the sake of control.

@ There is "rough consensus".  There is "running code" in the form of the 
@ people and systems currently performing the function, and the two similar 
@ entities (APNIC and RIPE) which are already in operation under similar 
@ charters.  It is time for ARIN to move forward unfettered by Federal 
@ intervention or oversight.
@ 

Again, why don't those people take a single
/8 (one 256th of the address space) and demonstrate
these skills, ethics, etc. With that approach people that
want to pay them can and those that prefer to go in a
different direction can do that.

@ When confronted with change and new alternatives, the appropriate direction 
@ to take is not always evident.  In this case however, it is clear to ATMnet 
@ that ARIN deserves all our support simply because it is the right thing to 
@ do for the health of a growing and vibrant industry.
@ --
@ Jim Browning <jfbb at ATMnet.net>
@ CEO, ATMnet  <www.ATMnet.net>
@ 

Do you also think that it is "right" for CEOs of
companies to threaten other companies with denying
transport of packets ?

If ARIN is formed, what assurances do people have
that certain people or groups will not be black-listed
by the small closed circle of friends that form ARIN ?

Does that group know the difference between right and wrong ?

--
Jim Fleming
Unir Corporation
http://www.Unir.Corp

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