Hi everyone! Some context: I'm a one-person LIR mentoring people who are ( interested in | excited about ) networking. To be clear, this is not a commercial undertaking, but a labor of love for the internet. Out of belief that being part of building and shaping the internet shouldn't be a financial decision, I provide resources at cost. In reality, most of the money comes from my own pocket – the majority of which goes into LIR fees! I am whole-heartedly in favor of adopting a category model (whether continuous or not). Of course, choosing the categories is a balancing act: Making it too steep, apart from possible negative tax implications, will cause the majority of RIPE's income be dependent on a few very large organizations (and make us in turn vulnerable to their demands).
On 11. Mar 2026, at 10:19, sdy@a-n-t.ru wrote: The MAJORITY of those participating in this discussion here have spoken about linear models! Which is also why, apart from the great points Sebastian and others have brought up, I am decisively opposed to a linear model.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the current flat-fee model poses an undue challenge to smaller ISPs. I personally know several people in small businesses and organizations that would happily move to becoming a member if the barrier to entry wasn't as high as it is today. Even I personally have to make a difficult choice each year, on whether I want to stay a LIR or not. A decent compromise might be a using two curves, a steeper one up to the median resources per LIR, and one that quickly stagnates above that. All that said, perfect is the enemy of good. The current move toward a more equitable model is definitely a step in the right direction. Have a lovely rest of your week :) ~ ember