Re: Allocation of IP Addresses

["David R. Conrad" <davidc () apnic net>]

Gordon:

> Just a small quibble David:  when you say "the IANA" decided, it gives 
> the impression that an august group of people like the IESG took action.  

I certainly would not intend to, nor do I think I did, give the
impression that a group like the IESG took action.  One of the
advantages (and arguable disadvantages) of the current registry system
is a lack of bureaucratic overhead of the type you thought I was
implying.

> In reality "the IANA" is but a SINGLE person - John Postel.  

Actually, it is 2 people, Jon Postel and Joyce Reynolds.  However,
note that the IANA is responsible to the IAB in the great Internet
organzation chart in the sky.

> If some 
> people are upset I suspect it might be because the power to make such a 
> decision is vested in the hands of ONE person rather than in a group.

My impression is that people are concerned that an organization with
no track record and no customers (at this time) was able to obtain a
highly coveted large block of space.  Further, some people are
concerned with the allocation of a subnet of a class A where an
equivalently sized block in the class C space would have seemed
appropriate.  My suggestion to people who feel this way would be to
publish an RFC or BCP offering advice to the IANA (as was done with
RFC 1814) describing the policies they would like implemented.

Regards,
-drc