CIX doing registries?? Just say no!

Wed May 24 23:17:20 UTC 1995

As I mentioned at the nanog conference, I would very much like to have
registries where we _pay_ for the registration services; the idea being
that paying for the service will result in much better service. I also
mentioned that I would like such registries to be non-for-profit, and
that I would rather CIX stay the hell away from registries.

Why am I against CIX? Registries delegate authority over two different
kinds of things: domain names and IP addresses [and AS numbers too].
The former have almost no value prior to registration, the latter have
value wether or not they are being used. Either way NICs perform the
service of the delegating authority over domain names and IP addresses;
what they don't do is evaluate the market value of the domain names and
IP addresses they hand out, and _that_ is what I worry an outfit like
CIX might be tempted to do. It wouldn't be too bad if we had to pay
market prices for IP addresses and domain names, but CIX might not have
to pay market prices for the right to delegate authority either; I don't
want to see a huge scam here...

How would CIX determine the fees that we're to pay them for their
registration services?? In response to their members' questions as to
what they (the members) would get [for their fees being spent on this
project] that non-CIX-members woudln't, Paul and Jerry mumbled something
about a two-tiered service pricing scheme where CIX members would get
lower fees. Am I the only one bothered by this?

And _what_ is CIX going to give _who_ in exchange for the
right/responsibility of delegating authority over the Class C space
lying at 207.*.*.* and beyond?? And what would they then charge for the
service of assigning these to ISP's [and whoever else]??

Mind you, I don't want to see IP address space auctions like the
electromagnetic spectrum auctions the FCC has been carrying out... I
think that careful delegation, will give us enough time to get to the
point where the older IP assignments can be redone (i.e. when people
renumber) or to when IPv6 can be deployed (which opens up a whole new
wonderful can of worms. My proposal is that a non-for-profit
organization free of conflicting interests (like the members vs.
non-members problem CIX has) take over the InterNIC's registry
responsibilities.

Which would be the best forum to discuss these matters?

Nick