[members-discuss] Billing scheme

 Dear colleagues,

the removement of the ability of a quarterly or half-annually billing
scheme is in my opinion a bad move.

Unfortunately I have no data prior to 1998, but at least since this year it
was already possible for LIRs to choose from a quarterly, half-annually or
annually charging scheme. It simplified and still simplifies the process
for newcomers to become LIR. Altough the fees were higher than today we
break here with a tradition that lasted more than 20 years (!).

This change will decrease the amount of reminders, yes, but it also will
decrease the amount of newcomers, small companies or even technical
interested natural persons which plan to become LIR at RIPE. Furthermore
the last subnets of the IPv4 pool, which is already quite scarce, won't go
anymore to many newcomers, it will possibly go more to companies which
already have enough means to buy IPv4 from the market. Those who have more
financial opportunities can easily create multiple LIR accounts because
they anyway pay annually as usual, so those who are affected are newcomers
and small companies.

I am strict against this change. It was an important simplification and I
see no real reason for removing it after more than 20 years because in a
few years when the pool is exhausted also the aforementioned heavy burden
will be extenuated. Especially when it comes to IPv6 the next years it
should be easily possible for newcomers to become LIR; because it is and
should be a membership and not an investment.

I also want to criticize that this was announced on a Friday, three days
before Christmas, only about one month (now two months) the invoices for
Q1/Y2019 will be sent and after expiration of the termination deadline of
15th December 2018.

In my opinion, RIPE NCC is one of the fairest and liberal RIR - but that
change isn't fair, it is more than astonishing.
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