There is a MUCH simplier solution.
First, use DNS instead of centralized WHOIS database. DNS already has IN-ADDR.ARPA zones with PTR RRs and it is nothing to add TXT RRs with contact etc information.
....
InterNIC delegates /8 or /16 zones to providers, providers delegate /16s and /24s to other providers or customers.
Since end-users will keep their contact information in their primary servers, right on premises, the likelihood of it being up-to-date is much higher -- simply because every time the LAN administrator will add or remove a host he'll see it.
at least two problems with this approach: - delegation does not imply announcement or reachability DNS registration should -NOT- do the same, but it does. - People thus far have not been willing to deploy the segmentation needed to split DNS delegations along CIDR bounds. Until then we are "stuck" with classful alignments in DNS. - This was considered and abandoned as another attempt to overload the DNS. The flaw in this approach is that the top level delegation point can always override any downstream delegation point. (can you say restraint of trade? Sure you can..) Still this approach has been looked at and it has a couple of really nice technical points. It will be stronger when we get SIG RR's and dynamic update. Perhaps we can revive it? --bill