2008-3 Previous Version
View the current policy proposal text.
The following version was archived on 16 September 2008.
Policy Proposal 2008-3
Community Networks IPv6 Allocation
Author: Joshua King
Date: 18 August 2008
Proposal type: new
Policy term: permanent
Policy statement:
[Add Section 2.8 to the NRPM.]
2.8 Community Network
A community network is a generic reference to any network that is
operated by a group of people living in a particular local area
organized for the purposes of delivery or provision of free or low-cost
network services to the residents of an incorporated or unincorporated
regional municipality, city, town, village, rural municipality,
township, county, district or other municipality or other such
geographic space, however designated. Legal responsibility for the
network as a whole must be held by an organization either possessing
federal non-profit status or fiscally sponsored by a non-profit
organization.
[Modify 6.5.8.1b as follows.]
b. qualify for an IPv4 assignment or allocation from ARIN under the IPv4
policy currently in effect or be a Community Network as defined in
Section 2.8, with allocation criteria defined in section 6.5.9.
[Add Section 6.5.9 to the NRPM.]
6.5.9 Community Network Allocations
6.5.9.1. Initial assignment size
Organizations defined as Community Networks under section 2.8 are
eligible to receive a direct assignment. The minimum size of the
assignment is /48. Organizations requesting a larger assignment must
provide documentation of the characteristics of the Community Network's
size and architecture that require the use of additional subnets. An
HD-Ratio of .94 with respect to subnet utilization within the network
must be met for all assignments larger than a /48.
These assignments shall be made from a distinctly identified prefix and
shall be made with a reservation for growth of at least a /44. This
reservation may be assigned to other organizations later, at ARIN's
discretion.
6.5.9.2. Subsequent assignment size
Additional assignments may be made when the need for additional subnets
is justified. Justification will be determined based on a detailed plan
of the network's architecture and the .94 HD-Ratio metric. When
possible, assignments will be made from an adjacent address block.
6.5.9.3. Number of customers
Community Networks seeking an allocation must demonstrate that they
provide for a user base of at least 100 through connectivity to homes
and businesses, public facilities, public access points, or mobile
users. Community Networks with user bases of under 200 must also submit
a plan for doubling their service base over the next year.
Rationale:
There are currently a number of projects globally that aim to develop
community network infrastructure and related technologies. These are
usually coordinated by volunteer-run, grassroots organizations which
lack many of the resources of traditional internet service providers and
other network operators. They have diverse goals, including public
policy, software development, and implementation of community services
and resources. Many of them provide services free of charge, and thus
lack any paying user base. However, in order to create and maintain
community networks that are often composed of hundreds if not thousands
of inexpensive consumer-grade network devices, a significant amount of
address space will be required. Current-generation workarounds to this
problem, such as NAT, not only make it difficult to develop
next-generation decentralized network technology by segmenting the
community's architecture from the Internet as a whole, but will cease to
be as viable a stopgap as the Internet moves towards IPv6 integration.
Community-based, volunteer-run organizations that are operated with an
eye towards the public good often do not have the resources to qualify
as an LIR under the current policy. They are often multi-homed networks
utilizing multiple, relatively inexpensive consumer-grade internet
uplinks and lacking the funds to meet the qualifications for an IPv4
allocation, but which wish an avenue to develop future IPv6 capability
for their constituent users. By establishing a procedure by which these
organizations can seek to acquire the resources they require for further
development, ARIN can reach out to this active community and establish a
small but definite space for them in the future of Internet.
Timetable for implementation: Immediate.
The following version was archived on 18 August 2008.
Policy Proposal 2008-3
Community Networks IPv6 Allocation
Author: Joshua King
Date: 1 April 2008
Proposal type: new
Policy term: permanent
Policy statement:
[Add Section 2.8 to the NRPM.]
2.8 Community Network
A community network is a generic reference to any network that is operated by a group of people living in a particular local area organized for the purposes of delivery or provision of network services to the residents of an incorporated or unincorporated regional municipality, city, town, village, rural municipality, township, county, district or other municipality or other such geographic space, however designated.
[Modify 6.5.8.1b as follows.]
b. qualify for an IPv4 assignment or allocation from ARIN under the IPv4 policy currently in effect or be a Community Network as defined in Section 2.8, with allocation criteria defined in section 6.5.9.
[Add Section 6.5.9 to the NRPM.]
6.5.9 Community Network Allocations
6.5.9.1. Initial assignment size
Organizations defined as Community Networks under section 2.8 are eligible to receive a direct assignment. The minimum size of the assignment is /48. Organizations requesting a larger assignment must provide documentation of the characteristics of the Community Network's size and architecture that require the use of additional subnets. An HD-Ratio of .94 with respect to subnet utilization within the network must be met for all assignments larger than a /48.
These assignments shall be made from a distinctly identified prefix and shall be made with a reservation for growth of at least a /44. This reservation may be assigned to other organizations later, at ARIN's discretion.
6.5.9.2. Subsequent assignment size
Additional assignments may be made when the need for additional subnets is justified. Justification will be determined based on a detailed plan of the network's architecture and the .94 HD-Ratio metric. When possible, assignments will be made from an adjacent address block.
6.5.9.3. Number of customers
Community Networks seeking an allocation must demonstrate that they provide for a user base of at least 100 through connectivity to homes and businesses, public facilities, public access points, or mobile users. Community Networks with user bases of under 200 must also submit a plan for doubling their service base over the next year.
Rationale:
There are currently a number of projects globally that aim to develop community network infrastructure and related technologies. These are usually coordinated by volunteer-run, grassroots organizations which lack many of the resources of traditional internet service providers and other network operators. They have diverse goals, including public policy, software development, and implementation of community services and resources. Many of them provide services free of charge, and thus lack any paying user base. However, in order to create and maintain community networks that are often composed of hundreds if not thousands of inexpensive, commodity hosts and devices, a significant amount of address space will be required. Current-generation workarounds to this problem, such as NAT, not only make it difficult to develop next-generation decentralized network technology by segmenting the community's architecture from the Internet as a whole, but will cease to be as viable a stopgap as the Internet moves towards IPv6 integration.
Even now, common community networking software solutions such as CUWiNware (http://www.cuwin.net) and Freifunk (http://www.freifunk.at) have nascent IPv6 addressing support, but participating organizations lack the address space for widespread testing or adoption. As such, it is necessary to implement an procedure as soon as possible for these segregated networks to acquire address space. These organizations do not meet the criteria traditionally defined for LIR's, and thus cannot acquire address allocations through existing templates. By establishing a procedure by which these organizations can seek to acquire the resources they require for further development, ARIN can reach out to this active community and establish a small but definite space for them in the future of Internet.
Timetable for implementation: Immediate.
The following version was archived on 1 April 2008.
Policy Proposal 2008-3
Community Networks IPv6 Allocation
Author: Joshua King
Proposal Version: 1
Date: 4 March 2008
Proposal type: new
Policy term: permanent
Policy statement:
[Add Section 2.8 to the NRPM.]
2.8 Community Network
A community network is a generic reference to any network that is operated by a group of people living in a particular local area organized for the purposes of delivery or provision of network services to the residents of an incorporated or unincorporated regional municipality, city, town, village, rural municipality, township, county, district or other municipality or other such geographic space, however designated.
[Modify 6.5.8.1b as follows.]
b. qualify for an IPv4 assignment or allocation from ARIN under the IPv4 policy currently in effect or be a Community Network as defined in Section 2.8.
Rationale:
There are currently a number of projects globally that aim to develop community network infrastructure and related technologies. These are usually coordinated by volunteer-run, grassroots organizations which lack many of the resources of traditional internet service providers and other network operators. They have diverse goals, including public policy, software development, and implementation of community services and resources. Many of them provide services free of charge, and thus lack any paying user base. However, in order to create and maintain community networks that are often composed of hundreds if not thousands of inexpensive, commodity hosts and devices, a significant amount of address space will be required. Current-generation workarounds to this problem, such as NAT, not only make it difficult to develop next-generation decentralized network technology by segmenting the community's architecture from the Internet as a whole, but will cease to be as viable a stopgap as the Internet moves towards IPv6 integration.
Even now, common community networking software solutions such as CUWiNware (http://www.cuwin.net) and Freifunk (http://www.freifunk.at) have nascent IPv6 addressing support, but participating organizations lack the address space for widespread testing or adoption. As such, it is necessary to implement an procedure as soon as possible for these segregated networks to acquire address space. These organizations do not meet the criteria traditionally defined for LIR's, and thus cannot acquire address allocations through existing templates. By establishing a procedure by which these organizations can seek to acquire the resources they require for further development, ARIN can reach out to this active community and establish a small but definite space for them in the future of Internet.
Timetable for implementation: Immediate.