Hi Nick, I believe that a valid fax nr is required in the procedure to reset the maintainer object authorization. If my recollection of that specific procedure is correct, it is one of the ways the RIPE NCC communicates during part of that procedure. Although we don't use a fax for normal business anymore these days, we have a dedicated fax number (pointing to a mailbox) specific for companies that are still in the 80's. Regards, Erik Bais -----Original Message----- From: ncc-services-wg-bounces@ripe.net [mailto:ncc-services-wg-bounces@ripe.net] On Behalf Of Nick Hilliard Sent: donderdag 29 augustus 2013 12:23 To: ncc-services-wg@ripe.net Subject: [ncc-services-wg] Requirement for fax numbers in LIR Portal The LIR Portal requires a fax-no: in several places, including initial LIR setup and ipv4/ipv6 allocation forms. Can this attribute be made optional instead of mandatory? Most organisations respond with surprise verging on mild panic when you tell them that they need a fax to be a RIPE NCC member. Does this require a policy change, or is it an operational thing in the NCC? I can't see any policy which makes fax-no: mandatory, but I haven't looked very closely either. Nick