May 24, 2013
11 p.m.
Good stuff. While so much of the ICANN world focuses on TLDs -- because there is so much loose money floating around that realm -- every now and then we need to be reminded of the other resources under ICANN's stewardship, and the fact that in those realms too there are actors who would diminish the public interest in the management of such resources.
While I agree that this policy move seems dubious, it would be really, really BAD if ICANN tried to tell the RIRs what to do. IP addresses are not like domain names, and ICANN has no leverage over the RIRs. (I can explain why, but the details are tedious.) If RIPE is doing something unwise, and it wouldn't be the first time, it has to be fixed within RIPE's processes. R's, John