On Nov 17, 2011, at 6:53 AM, Dave Hart wrote:
AS path geeks:
At the risk of invoking ire and eliciting comparisons to the widely-reviled and growing practice of selling IPv4 addresses, I'm wondering if anyone has sold legacy AS numbers for quick cash.
For example, NASA has AS23 among others, and does not use 23. Could they help fund a Mars mission study or two by offering it to the highest bidder? Or would they be lucky to top the $500 ARIN charges for a 32-bit ASN?
ARIN also charges $500 for 16 bit ASNs and still has those available.
I recognize there's no practical shortage of AS numbers. BGP's preference for low AS numbers doesn't come into play much. On the other hand, a low AS number can't hurt at the human level when negotiating peering or attracting customers.
ARIN policy does not currently support the transfer of AS numbers in this manner. IMHO, it shouldn't, but, there is a policy proposal to do so. I suggest that anyone interested in this subject review the proposal and join the discussion on arin-ppml. Owen (Speaking only for myself and not on behalf of the ARIN AC)