ARIN-prop-348: SPARK (Starter Pack for ARIN Resource Kit)
Date: 17 September 2025
Proposal Originators: Preston Louis Ursini
Problem Statement:
New entrant ISPs and LIRs face barriers that make joining ARIN less attractive than leasing IPv4 from brokers.
Process Complexity: ASN, IPv4, and IPv6 each require separate requests, which makes the process appear fragmented and difficult. The current fee structure is complex and hard for newcomers to understand, leaving them confused and discouraged. Brokers with a financial incentive have filled this gap by creating a market for tying IPv4 assets to IP Transit, consulting, and other contracts, creating a feedback loop of IPv4 scarcity and slow IPv6 adoption.
Cost Pressure: The $500 new member registration fee plus ongoing annual fees are not transparent or easy to comprehend to a newer network in presentation, which creates the perception of stacked costs. This drives many small ISPs toward the IPv4 leasing market, where costs are higher but the process is perceived as simpler and even more affordable.
The effect of new ISPs simply leasing IPv4 has a side effect of making IPv6 feel like an “add-on” and causes these networks to simply skip IPv6 implementation all together. By making IPv6+IPv4 through NRPM 4.10 into a simple package the narrative and perception for a new ISP changes: IPv6 is now the default, it is available, and implementing it also gives you a /24 to enable IPv4 access.
Educational Opportunities: This gives ARIN room for education, showing these ISPs that CGNAT+IPv6 is a reliable default path forward for new networks. It sets the standard that IPv4 is expected to be delivered via CG-NAT and behind load balancers as a tool for IPv6 transition, rather than as asset to be leased and sold.
Other RIRs have addressed these very issues by bundling resources for newcomers. RIPE NCC issues IPv4 and IPv6 together to new members, LACNIC requires IPv6 with any IPv4 allocation, and APNIC/AFRINIC both encourage or automatically include IPv6 by default. ARIN needs a comparable, turn-key process that simplifies onboarding while encouraging IPv6 adoption.
Policy Statement:
Amend NRPM §4.10 to establish the SPARK bundle (Starter Pack for ARIN Resource Kit):
Single Request: A new LIR/ISP may submit one SPARK request covering:
- One ASN
- An IPv4 /24 from the IPv6 transition reserve under §4.10
- An Initial IPv6 allocation
IPv6 Allocation: The minimum IPv6 allocation under SPARK shall be a /40, issued using sparse allocation so it may be expanded to a /36 or /32 without renumbering.
Fee Structure:
$500 one-time New Member Registration Fee, consistent with ARIN’s current model.
$250/year ongoing (3X-Small category) covering ASN + IPv4 + IPv6.
No additional resource-specific application fees.
Eligibility: SPARK shall be available only to new organizations with no prior IPv4 allocation from ARIN, consistent with §4.10.
Subsequent Growth: Organizations may request additional IPv6 space or IPv4 resources under existing policies. ARIN shall allocate contiguous IPv6 space reserved through sparse allocation where possible.
Timetable for Implementation: Within 90 days of Board adoption
Comments:
Staff and Legal Comments
Staff: Implementation would require modest adjustments to ARIN’s request workflows and billing to accommodate SPARK as a bundled option.
Legal: No concerns. The policy aligns with ARIN’s mission to facilitate IPv6 adoption and lower barriers for new entrants.
Resource Impact
Engineering: Minor updates to ARIN Online to create a SPARK request path.
IPv4: No impact beyond existing §4.10 allocations.
IPv6: Negligible consumption impact — /40 allocations use a minimal portion of ARIN’s holdings, and sparse allocation ensures efficient future growth.
Finance: Keeps revenue aligned with current structure ($500 application + $250/year). Simplifies cost presentation for newcomers without reducing income.
Rationale
Simplified Onboarding: One request, one invoice, one bundle. This removes complexity that discourages newcomers.
Transparent Costs: Makes clear that the entry cost is $500 one-time plus $250/year, covering ASN, IPv4, and IPv6.
IPv6-First Deployment: Every new member receives IPv6 alongside IPv4, ensuring dual-stack or IPv6-first design from the outset.
Global Consistency: Aligns ARIN with other RIRs that require or automatically issue IPv6 for new members.
Right-Sized: A /40 IPv6 block is small enough for low-cost entry yet expandable without renumbering, making it practical for new small networks.
§4.10.2 SPARK – Starter Pack for ARIN Resource Kit
Organizations receiving an IPv4 allocation under this section shall automatically receive an ASN and a minimum IPv6 allocation of /40. IPv6 allocations shall be made using sparse allocation to allow expansion to /36 or /32. Both IPv4 and IPv6 shall be billed under the same 3X-Small fee category, with the standard new member registration fee applying at initiation.
The minimum IPv6 allocation for organizations holding no more than a /24 of IPv4 shall be /40, allocated using sparse allocation to allow expansion.