john, i think your attemt to move the discussion to the arin ppml list exemplifies one core of the problem. this is not about address policy, but arin thinks of itelf as a regulator not a registry. contrast with the ripe community and the ncc, which is not nirvana but is a hell of a lot better. among other key differences, the ncc is engaged with the community through technical and business working groups. e.g. the database working group covers what you think of as whois and the routing registry. the wg developed the darned irr definition and continues to evolve it. consequence? the irr is actively used in two regions in the world, europe and japan (which likes anything ocd:-). the routing wg works with the ops to develop routing technology such as route flap damping. there is a reason that serious ops attend ripe meetings. yes, a whole lot of folk with enable are engaged. for years there has been a wg on the global layer nine issues. the dns wg deals with reverse delegation, root server ops, etc. and guess what, all the dns heavy techs and ops are engaged. there is a wg for discussing what services the ncc offers. the recent simplification and opening of services to legacy and PI holders happened in the ncc services wg, it was about services not addressing policy. and this is aside from daniel's global measurement empire. not sure it is a registry's job to do this, but it is a serious contribution to the internet. the ncc is engaged with its community on the subhects that actually interest operators and affect our daily lives. there is nothing of interest at an arin meeting, a bunch of junior wannabe regulators and vigilantes making an embarrassing mess. i've even taken to skipping nanog, if ras talks i can watch the recording. all the cool kids will be in warsaw. ops vote with our feet. randy