<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<style type="text/css" style="display:none;"> P {margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;} </style>
</head>
<body dir="ltr">
"I have other things to attend to." - like cleaning pores?
<div id="appendonsend"></div>
<hr style="display:inline-block;width:98%" tabindex="-1">
<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> Ronald F. Guilmette <rfg@tristatelogic.com><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, October 27, 2020 3:03 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> community-discuss@afrinic.net <community-discuss@afrinic.net><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [Community-Discuss] Notice to all the legacy netblocks holders in AfriNIC</font>
<div> </div>
</div>
<div class="BodyFragment"><font size="2"><span style="font-size:11pt;">
<div class="PlainText">In message <995ECA50-E1DA-49EA-ACC0-54EDA4091D1A@afrinic.net>,
<br>
AFRINIC Communication <comms@afrinic.net> wrote:<br>
<br>
>The Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system is a successful model of<br>
>industry self-regulation...<br>
<br>
I would be happy to debate the truth or falsehood of that proposition<br>
with you at some appropriate moment. (Not just now. I have other<br>
things to attend to.)<br>
<br>
It is likely true that the RIR system has served, like the Pax Americana<br>
of the late 20th century and the Pax Romana before it, to prevent all-out<br>
violent confrontations between otherwise opposing factions. But this<br>
is not the only possible definition of the word "successful", and there<br>
have been glaring and evident problems... in the AFRINIC region, in the<br>
ARIN region, in the RIPE region, and elsewhere. To simply and unilaterally<br>
declare that "This model of governance is good. End of discusssion." is<br>
not entirely persuasive in the present context.<br>
<br>
And although the industry may view this model as having been fantastically<br>
successful at keeping various governments largely or entirely at bay and<br>
largely or entirely out of the Internet regulation business (which even<br>
I would agree is a profoundly Good Thing) the industry, such as it is,<br>
is going to have to come to terms someday with that fact that secrecy<br>
and the shrouding of every detail underneath a gigantic blanket of<br>
NDAs neither promotes good governance nor is compatible with the ever<br>
increasing dependency of society as a whole on this utility we call the<br>
Internet, a utility whose underlying business arrangement have, by design,<br>
been keep almost entirely opaque to the outside world.<br>
<br>
The present pandemic has only increased the dependency of society on the<br>
Internet, and thus it has also increased the need for more transparency<br>
into these private business arragements, in the public interest.<br>
<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
rfg<br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Community-Discuss mailing list<br>
Community-Discuss@afrinic.net<br>
<a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/community-discuss</a><br>
</div>
</span></font></div>
</body>
</html>