[44net] answering questions about BGP assignment locations, address space plans

Dear 44Net mailing list members, Weaving through many of the messages from the past few weeks, I’m aware that folks have some questions around why G1FEF has been organizing BGP requests in 44.31/16.  Behind these questions, in some cases, is a sense of uncertainty around whether or not ARDC is going to sell any more address space. Some members of the TAC have requested that I speak to you all about these issues, and to create space where you can ask questions. So here we go G1FEF has been putting BGP allocations into 44.31/16 for a few reasons: * Currently there are BGP “holes” randomly scattered throughout our address space. This makes it harder to manage, especially when trying to spot unauthorized announcements, which we get a lot of. * We inherited the “give a /16 to every region or country” practice from the 1990’s which has resulted in extremely sparse use of the space. We'd be better “netizens” if we used the space more effectively. * The HAMNET issue (needing a static set of addresses for BGP routing) is also a consideration, as they are the largest consumers of our address space by far. All told, Chris is doing his best to engage in best practices absent a more robust policy around BGP. Creating that policy is definitely on the list, and ideally fits into a greater vision around next steps for the address space (PoPs? Better organizing assignments for one reason or another? etc.). Data from our recent assessment is helping us to put together that vision. Thank you to all of you who shared your thoughts. In terms of whether ARDC is planning to sell more addresses: while it may happen at some point in the future, there are no current plans, short or medium term, to do so. The non-inconsequential effort involved in overcoming the tax and operational implications of such a move would only make sense after taking into account the views of the 44Net community on a vision for overall address space usage and associated future plans. In the meantime, many thanks for your patience amid the uncertainty. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Sincerely,
 Rosy -- Rosy Schechter - KJ7RYV Executive Director Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) ampr.org