----- On Aug 31, 2021, at 1:37 PM, Rubens Kuhl rubensk@gmail.com wrote: Hi Rubens,
On Tue, Aug 31, 2021 at 5:28 PM Sabri Berisha <sabri@cluecentral.net> wrote:
In all fairness, that is as ambiguous as it can be. What constitutes "support of connectivity back to the AfriNIC region"?
I can try helping with that: in underserved regions it's not unusual for network services for that population to be physically hosted out of the region. For instance, if you have a hosting service that only accepts South African rands and your language options are Afrikaans and Zulu, you can credibly argue to AfriNIC that you are targeting its service region and are eligible for AfriNIC number resources.
That is one (fair) interpretation. Also one that I didn't think of.
But you would need to be upfront with that, including mentioning that your upstreams are not from Africa and your installations won't be in Africa. Otherwise you applied for number resources under false pretenses, and will bear the risk of such.
Again, fair enough. And what happens if the same hosting company is struggling and now decides to offer its services to other regions as well? Are they now out of compliance and at risk to have their precious number resources revoked? My point is not that you are wrong (your interpretation of the clause is very reasonable). My point is that different people have a different understanding of the plain language of that clause. And that is assuming that it applies, as I believe that CI is arguing that it does not. When I did my MBA program, I had to take accounting classes. One of the key takeaways for me was the explanation for the need of accounting rules. Imagine two accountants discussing the value of the Golden Gate Bridge. The first accountant will estimate it at $120 million, while the second accountant will say $121 million. Both are fairly reasonable, and very close to each other. However, for accounting purposes, only one value can be used. Which one should be used? A similar issue is, from what I can see, going on here. How does one interpret the AfriNIC region clause? You come across as a very reasonable person, and I like to think that I am, too. Yet we have a different initial interpretation of the rules. I regret the true human cost that Mark pointed out, yet I am fascinated by the case and the arguments on both sides. The court will have their work cut out for them. Thanks, Sabri