of what [the] policy [proposal] might say".
I expect that the main elements of the forthcoming policy proposal will
include the following.
Current inaccuracies in the RIPE database should be corrected without
additional formality, and specifically without forcing a contractual
relationship.
Each legacy resource holder should have the choice of registering holdings
either directly as a "small" member or indirectly as a customer of a
sponsoring LIR. We understand that this matches current NCC thinking.
Clarity is needed as to which RIR policies will apply to legacy resources.
It is not sufficient to declare these resources subject to "all" policies,
as the RIR may not have authority to apply certain policies in respect of
legacy resources. It will be necessary to itemize which policies are
applicable.
Whenever an "obvious" potential sponsoring LIR can be identified, the NCC
should request this LIR to make contact with the resource holder rather
than do so directly. Such cases might be identified either from existing
RIPE DB records or from current routing information. There is specific
concern in the NREN community that NCC members' relationships with their
customers be respected in this way.
We gave more detailed attention to the question of charging, as we
understand that this is a current priority of the RIPE NCC Board.
We are aware of two current documents relating to charging: one, the report
of the Charging Scheme Task Force (CSTF); the other, a limited-circulation
document co-authored by a group for which Daniel Karrenberg has been acting
as editor. The latter document may perhaps be most conveniently described
as a memorandum for the Board, giving an example of how the recommendations
of the CSTF might concretely be implemented.
We welcome the specific attention given in this "Karrenberg document" to
the situation of legacy resource holders, and particularly the idea of
encouraging engagement of legacy resource holders by waiving the sign-up
fee.
We also appreciate the suggestion made at the TERENA conference in
Reykjavík recently by Mirjam Kühne, representing the RIPE NCC, that
fees would not be charged in respect of legacy resources. Some
clarification as to the conditions attached to this offer, including
an indication of how long it will continue, would be helpful.
Although it is certain to be superseded, we have used RIPE-499, which
documents the 2011 charging scheme, as the starting point for indicating
how we feel that legacy resources should be assessed in case a resource
accounting assessment model is to be used in the new charging scheme.
We propose that legacy address blocks are assessed with a score of
one eighth of the score assessed for a PA block of equal size.
We also suggest a modification to the "Karrenberg document" so that
a sponsoring LIR will not be inhibited from accommodating legacy
resource holders by concern over a possible change of charging band.
Attached are modified versions of Appendix 1 of RIPE-499 and of
Appendix F of the "Karrenberg document" which make these suggestions
explicit.