[governance] IPv6 address allocations to DOD

[John Curran]

On Feb 4, 2010, at 6:20 AM, Milton L Mueller wrote:
> ...
> The best assumption I can make is that your question is rhetorical and you are trying to highlight the problems associated with the militarization of cyberspace. Or, maybe you are serious? 
> 
> If the latter, why should RIRs (or anyone else outside a military apparatus) do _anything_ to facilitate network-centric warfare in any way?

True.  The converse questions also needs to be asked: why should the RIRs do _anything_ to hinder any governments military use of the network?  Would a market-based model preclude such use?

> I suggest that despite all the hostility to markets that is routinely displayed on this list, that allocation according to basic principles of supply and demand looks pretty humane and rational by comparison.  

Markets certainly serve a useful purpose.  If there were a market for Internet addresses, would you propose one that doesn't "do _anything_ to facilitate network-centric warfare in any way?"
(or would you propose a market with political constraints based on some organizations idea of economic or social goodness?) 

> The apologia for "needs based allocation" that has been floated here overlooks one of its most important shortcomings: in engineering, "need" is defined WITHOUT REGARD TO ECONOMIC SCARCITY. Therefore, in principle, if I or the US military or anyone could prove that they "need" all of the IPv4 or IPv6 space for some implementation of a network, in principle they should get it. The fact that one year later, or three weeks or a decade later someone else might be able to demonstrate need for the same amount of addresses and not get them because they have already been allocated to others is not taken into consideration. Needs based allocations exempt requestors from paying any kind of social opportunity cost. 

In the case of the Internet number resource registry system, this is almost universally true.  We have had policy proposals which contain various social needs, but they are rare, and the RIR system is not well-conceived to deal with judging "global social goodness".   I've yet to see any organization capable of this, so understand that my disappointment is minimal.

The RIR system performs technical administration based on documented *technical* need.  While the lack of politics in the management of these resources may been seen as a defect by some, it is viewed as a feature by many.

/John

John Curran
President and CEO
ARIN____________________________________________________________
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