while we can hope that the ietf and rfced will process the asplain draft before eoy, when the rirs start issuing 4-byte asns, there is no need to bet on it. after all, the ietf was not very swift about processing the base 4-byte asn draft, were they? but there is no need for pissing contests or constitutional crises. i suggest that ripe just proceed with achieving community consensus on the policy path, but stall in making it formal. given passage of the policy, the ncc can prepare implementation. then, if the ietf/rfced come through on time, it's a win. if they don't then the ncc uses asplain by community consensus policy and the ietf can catch up at their own pace. this is essentially the same as apnic is doing for asns reserved for documentation. the only difference is that other regions have no need to do policy as all can use the docco asns issued by apnic if the ietf does not come through as hoped. life can be simple. randy