I've written part of what I'm going to share below a number of times but held back from sending. Now seems like a good point.
The underlying problem with this part of the debate is that frankly, large IPv4 holders by some in the "community" are considered as evil and smaller IPv4 holders are the good. This is not healthy, often cloaked by tedious arguments and disregards certain realities. What those larger holders stand for and achieve on a day-to-day basis may well be viewed negatively but their justified use of the space allocated has been accepted by RIPE NCC (legacy excluded). If members feel holders have space to which they are no longer entitled then Policy should be updated to recover space more vigorously, whilst also prohibiting and killing the transfer market. Instead the narrative is "if I can't get any, charge them more!!!". Guess what, if you aren't in Category 1 (1,505 LIRs) you aren't the little guy...
If we accept holders have a legitimate need, then their place for the greater internetworking and function of the Internet is no more or less than a smaller holder. The direction we seem to be moving in to is very much self-serving interest and positioning larger holders as Cash Cows. The fact members are comfortable with that is disturbing. Do we really think that larger holders cost RIPE NCC that much more and sufficiently enough more than running IPv6 alongside? All this considered put another way, I get to enjoy the same benefits as others at their expense. The problem with cash cows is eventually that revenue stream goes. Then what? Do we find ourselves targeting the ever diminishing IPv4 holders even more? Is IPv4 treated like a second class citizen to be exploited?
Well, the clues are in the announcement from Ondřej Filip here: https://mailman.ripe.net/archives/list/ncc-announce@ripe.net/thread/IZFVMQND3JWC4QHPKVYRZDNFXPRLMLNM/, specifically:-
" The category model proposed is aligned with the majority of the principles
put forward by the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme Task Force. The remaining
principles will be discussed with the membership and can be implemented in
the coming years as consensus is reached on how to do so effectively."
&
" Introducing possible new separate
fees in line with task force principles could potentially increase the
income for the RIPE NCC while keeping the income derived from the category
fees neutral over time."
So those who may see Category B offering lower fees now, may well in future see those fees go down (great!), but also up. You don’t actually know.
Those changes will need to be voted on and accepted. If not, the budget deficit needs to come from somewhere...
The deeper question arising from this for me becomes, at what point does all this move us from a Member organisation to a Service Provider?
Thanks,
Brian
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From: Simon Lockhart <simon@slimey.org>
Sent: 23 April 2026 12:41
To: Sander Klein <Sander.Klein@vitecsoftware.com>
Cc: members-discuss@ripe.net
Subject: [members-discuss] Re: RIPE NCC Charging Scheme Proposals Announced
You're conflating two different things.
RIPE, as an RIR, does not rent IP space. It maintains a database of allocations of IP space. RIPE makes allocations (a license to use) of space based on need (you could never just "buy" a block of IP space without justified need). I purposely do not make any statement about the validation of that need.
LIRs may choose to rent or sell IP space they have been allocated by RIPE, which RIPE tolerates, and updates the allocation database accordingly.
Simon
On Thu Apr 23, 2026 at 09:46:10AM +0000, Sander Klein via members-discuss wrote:
> If the rental and selling of IP Space should not be taken into account, then it should not be allowed in the first place.
>
> Because we are able to rent out or sell them, they have a value thus
> making the flat ripe fees 'feel' unfair
>
> Sander
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