Dear Alex, In reply to your comment made about membership requirements for Local Internet Registries (LIR), please see the following information: IP address space is assigned according to the criteria proposed and accepted by the RIPE community in the "IPv4 Address Allocation and Assignment Policies for the RIPE NCC Service Region" policy document. The RIPE NCC evaluates all requests for address space according to this policy. You can read this document at: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/ipv4-policies.html#9 This document states: "The use of PA address space should always be recommended". Following these guidelines, the RIPE NCC suggests, where appropriate and in the best interests of the requester, that becoming a member of the RIPE NCC may be an option. It is, however, not a requirement for any organisation to become a member. The RIPE NCC is a neutral, objective and not-for-profit organisation and does not explicitly promote membership. It does not aim to benefit from additional new members in any way. The fees are determined each year by the membership at the General Meeting on the basis of the RIPE NCC's expected expenses. Therefore, the interpretation that the RIPE NCC pushes organisations into becoming members and paying fees is based on a misunderstanding. If you have any questions or require more information please contact lir-help@ripe.net. Best regards, Flor de Maria Paredes Mattos Registration Services Manager RIPE NCC