[address-policy-wg] Cleaning up Unused AS Numbers

Dear colleagues,

As previously mentioned at RIPE 73, we are planning a project to clean
up unused AS Numbers. You can find this presentation here:
https://ripe73.ripe.net/archives/video/1456/

According to ripe-679, "Autonomous System (AS) Number Assignment
Policies" if an organisation no longer uses as AS Number, it should be
returned to the free pool so it can be reassigned:
https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ripe-679

There are currently around 6,600 ASNs in our service region (held or
sponsored by 2,682 LIRs) that are not being advertised in the routing
system. This represents around 22% of the ~30,000 ASNs assigned by the
RIPE NCC.

There are a number of legitimate reasons why an ASN might not be
advertised in the routing system. However, it is also possible that
the holder doesn't exist anymore or the ASN is no longer needed. Not
only should unused ASNs be returned, but it's important to clean up
out of date registrations, which affect the quality of data in the
RIPE Registry.


Our Proposal

We plan to email the LIR or sponsoring LIR for each unannounced ASN
and ask if the resource is still needed. We will group together ASNs
that are sponsored or held by the same LIR to minimise the number of
emails.

We will ask if the ASN is currently being used or if there are plans
to start using the ASN in the coming three months. Organisations can
always request a new ASN in the future if they need one.

If we do not receive a reply or if the ASN will not be used within
three months, we will start the process of returning the ASN to the
free pool. The deregistration process will take three months, during
which time the LIR can still indicate that the ASN is needed. If the
ASN is still needed, the validity of the assignment (such as the
multihoming requirement) will not be re-evaluated.

We do not expect any significant cost or impact on other services, as
most of this process will be automated and we will not need to
re-evaluate the assignments. Contacting all relevant LIRs will take
less than six months.

Please review this proposal and send any comments or other feedback
before Thursday 6 April to <address-policy-wg at ripe.net>.

Regards,

Laurens Hoogendoorn
Registration Services
RIPE NCC

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