[address-policy-wg] Millions of Internet Addresses Are LyingIdle

Jeffrey,

On Wed, 2008-10-15 at 03:54 -0700, Jeffrey A. Williams wrote:
> >
> > Reclaiming unused IPv4 space is very expensive. The RIR system was never
> > designed with reclamation in mind, and fear or selfishness on the part
> > of existing participants has prevented even small moves towards fixing
> > this (see discussions of 2007-01 for more insight).
> 
>   Sorry I don't except you premise that reclaiming unused IPv4 space is very
> expensive.  

The current work for allocating IPv4 space is:

      * Verify requester needs space
      * Search the available list for space

To reclaim space, one must do something like:

      * Find space one thinks might be available
      * Figure out the contact for the space
      * Request the space from said contact
      * Handle cases where contact is unavailable or uncooperative
      * "Decontaminate" space for a while (optional but recommended)
      * Put space on the available list

Someone has to do all of these tasks, and the timelines can be quite
long. I am *not* saying it is impossible, only that it is a lot more
work than what we have today. And that work is what will make it
expensive.

> > The
> > idea of a market may help to lower these costs (or not), but the costs
> > will still be there. Any time you see a change in a fundamental resource
> > after decades of relatively low cost, there will be economic upset(*).
> 
> I agree very generally with your last sentence here.  Not your first,
> however.  Any "Market" where IP address space is auctioned off
> like a comodity will early on sore in price, than maybe later graduate
> down or flatten out.  But this depends if the "Market" is regulated or
> not, and if so, how it is regulated, whom is the regulator, and how
> diligent that or those regulators are to adhering to the yet to be
> determined regulations by which that "Market" operates under.

I do not believe a market will actually solve the shortage problem.

I do believe there already is a market, and it is better to record who
is responsible for addresses rather than make an even bigger mess than
the current system.

--
shane