Re: [members-discuss] LIR’s billing issues with RIPE NCC, need support

So the question is: What is the reason for this rule if you think we need it to be kept?

Stability. It's bad for any organisation, if the members come and go too quickly. We - as a community - want to welcome newcomers, so becoming a LIR should be easy. That's why it's accepted to make a compromise between fiscal year and entry time. OTOH we - as a community - do not want to encourage people to misuse the address assignment policy for their sole purpose, which involves creating and merging LIRs quickly. That's why another compromise to ease their life is so likely. Yes, that's a bit bitter for companies which need to shut down or are taken over. But that's normal contractual risk. IMHO.