Hello all,
First, as a general note, it is worth mentioning that there are several
staff at the APNIC Secretariat who keenly follow the discussions on
NZNOG.
Currently, we have been closely following the discussion on the effects
of implementing the 'whois privacy' policy on address ranges in use in
New Zealand. This email is intended to clarify some of the issues
raised, to provide explanations, and to try to identify a path forward.
As there have been quite a lot of issues raised, I apologise in advance
for the length of this reply.
1) Creating and changing policies
---------------------------------
It is not necessary to be a member of APNIC to be involved in the
policy making process. Anyone can propose policy changes and take part
in the policy discussions. Also, you dont have to attend the meetings
to take part. APNIC provides facilities for people not present to take
part in discussions while the meetings are actually taking place. In
addition, everyone is welcome to join the APNIC mailing lists where
policies are proposed and discussed.
The main list used to discuss the management of Internet resources is
the Policy Special Interest Group (SIG) mailing list. A description of
the Policy SIG is available at:
http://www.apnic.net/meetings/archive/sigs/policy.html
Details of how to subscribe to this and other APNIC mailing lists is
available at:
http://www.apnic.net/community/lists/
It is highly recommended that anyone holding resources does subscribe
to this list (and others) so that they can voice their opinions and
give feedback when policies are circulated for comment.
You can also find a list of active policies under discussion at:
http://www.apnic.net/docs/policy/proposals/
Feedback and participation in developing policies from the NZ community
is very much appreciated.
2) Membership fees and criteria for portable allocations and assignments
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The fees for membership can be found here:
http://www.apnic.net/member/feesinfo.html
The criteria for a minium allocation (/21*) of portable address space
are as follows:
- the applicant must have used a /23 from their upstream provider
or demonstrate an immediate need for a /23;
- the applicant must have complied with applicable policies in
managing all address space previously allocated to it;
- the applicant must demonstrate a detailed plan for use of a /22
within a year; and commit to renumber from previously deployed
space into the new address space within one year.
[* it is worth noting that the size of the minimum allocation and the
criteria for obtaining an allocation were recently lowered from a /20
to a /21 as a result of input and consensus from the community]
More information is here:
http://www.apnic.net/docs/policy/add-manage-policy.html#9.3
If you wish to obtain a portable assignment of address space as a
multihomed organisation you can apply under the small multi-homing
assignment policy. The criteria are:
- the requestor must be currently multihomed with provider-based
addresses, or demonstrates a plan to multihome within one month; and
- agree to renumber out of previously assigned address space.
The small multi-homing assignments are available to both members and
non-members.
3) National Internet Registries (NIRs)
--------------------------------------
APNIC recognises NIRs which operate within certain economies.
Prospective NIRs must meet specific criteria and adopt the operational
policies detailed in:
http://www.apnic.net/docs/policy/nir-criteria.html
and
http://www.apnic.net/docs/policy/operational-policies-nirs.html
4) Whois database privacy policy
--------------------------------------
Details of and the motivations for this policy are documented at:
http://www.apnic.net/docs/policy/proposals/prop-007-v001.html
In summary, the policy means that all non-portable assignments and
non-portable sub-allocations will be private by default. Details of
these resources remain registered in the whois database but are just
not visible to the public. They can be made visible by the custodian of
the allocation object through MyAPNIC, to which all APNIC members have access.
5) Next steps
-------------
Under the database privacy policy, all non-portable assignments and
non-portable sub-allocations that have not been specifically marked as
public have now been made private. However, because some allocations
and assignments within certain ranges appear to have been considered
'portable' by default from earlier practices in New Zealand, APNIC
will restore the affected ranges from private to public. The ranges
in question are:
- 202.27.0./16
- 202.36.0.0/16
- 202.37.0.0/16
- 202.49.0.0/16, and
- 202.50.0.0/16
Anyone holding addresses from these ranges that they wish to be made
private, should contact APNIC helpdesk. The update will be done this
week.
6) NZTelecom custodianship
--------------------------
In regard to the wider issue of NZTelecom as a custodian of the ranges
listed above, APNIC operated in good faith, trying to promote
aggregation and provide a clearer framework for the custodianship of
address space in New Zealand.
That said, clearly there are now major concerns being expressed on this
mailing list concerning portability of blocks within these ranges. The
APNIC Secretariat will examine the records within these ranges and will
work with NZTelecom, affected parties, and the community to find an
appropriate solution. The solution will not happen overnight but the
process is beginning immediately. Of course, APNIC will keep the New
Zealand community fully up to date on the progress of the discussions.
The APNIC Secretariat would be happy to assist anyone with concerns. If
you want to discuss your concerns with us, please call the helpdesk on
+61-7-3858-3188 or send email to