



Internet Engineering Task Force                        A. Z. Hadley, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                       H2 Technologies LLC
Intended status: Informational                          16 December 2025
Expires: 19 June 2026


                      Special Use ASN's for 44net
              draft-hadley-44net-special-asn-allocation-00

Abstract

   This document proposes reserving a pool of Autonomous System Numbers
   (ASNs) for the Amateur Radio Digital Communications Network (44Net,
   also known as AMPRNet). 44Net traces its origins to the early 1980s
   when the Class A network 44.0.0.0/8 was set aside for amateur packet
   radio, enabling worldwide experimental and operational use by
   licensed radio amateurs.  Recent work, including Ursini’s proposal to
   reserve the IPv6 block 44::/16 for amateur radio, demonstrates
   ongoing efforts to secure dedicated Internet resources for the
   community.  To complement these efforts, this document recommends
   reserving approximately 25,000 ASNs for distribution to licensed
   radio operators and 44Net operators to support past, present, and
   future allocations, simplify routing and resource management, and
   make it straightforward to identify 44Net participants on the global
   Internet.

Status of This Memo

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 19 June 2026.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2025 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.




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   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
   license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.  Code Components
   extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as
   described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are
   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Problem Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     3.1.  Benefits of Special Use ASN Allocation  . . . . . . . . .   5
   4.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   6.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   7.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7

1.  Introduction

   In 1981, a block of IPv4 addresses (the Class A network 44.0.0.0/8)
   was assigned for use by licensed amateur radio operators worldwide.
   This allocation, known as the Amateur Packet Radio Network (AMPRNet
   or 44Net), provided over 16 million IPv4 addresses dedicated to
   amateur radio digital communications.  The foresight of early amateur
   digital pioneers like Hank Magnuski (KA6M) ensured that "internet-
   style networking would be the future" for amateur radio, and they
   wanted the emerging packet radio networks to participate.  Since its
   allocation in the mid-1980s, 44Net has been used by amateur radio
   operators for scientific research and experimentation with digital
   communications over radio, advancing the state of the art in amateur
   networking and educating operators in these techniques.

   Unlike typical commercial ISPs, 44Net is managed by the nonprofit
   Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and operates under
   amateur radio regulations and community governance.  Any licensed
   radio amateur can request an address in 44Net for experimental use,
   but commercial use is prohibited and the addresses are provided
   solely for amateur communications and technical experiments.  The
   social contract of 44Net aligns with amateur radio’s non-pecuniary,
   public-service ethos, and all usage must comply with applicable radio
   regulations (e.g. identification, no obscured or encrypted
   communications except as allowed by law, etc.).  These distinctive
   usage policies and the oversight by the amateur community set 44Net
   apart from the general Internet.  At the same time, 44Net’s IP



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   addresses are "public, globally routable, and static, no NAT, no
   CGNAT... IP as it was meant to be."  In other words, 44Net is an open
   network that interconnects with the global Internet, not a closed
   intranet.  When one accesses a 44Net host, they know "it’s provided
   by a fellow ham in the spirit of amateur radio", yet the packets are
   carried over standard Internet infrastructure.

   44net has historically used Autonomous System Number (ASN) 7377, the
   University of California, San Diego, as its primary ASN for routing
   the large prefix's.  However, as the amateur radio community has
   grown and diversified, there is a need for 44net operators to
   announce their allocations independently of the IPIP mesh
   traditionally used with AMPRNet.  This led to the use of various ASNs
   by different 44net operators, often assigned from RIR resources.  The
   process to obtain ASNs from RIRs can be cumbersome for individual
   amateur operators and small groups, especially given the non-
   commercial nature of amateur radio.  Furthermore, the cost of the
   obtaining and maintaining ASNs from RIRs can be prohibitive for many
   amateur operators, who typically operate on a volunteer basis without
   commercial funding.

   This document proposes reserving a contiguous block of 25,000
   special-use ASNs for 44net, running from 4199975000 through
   4199999999 (inclusive).  This block is sized to meet the community’s
   operational needs while leaving the adjacent 32-bit private ASN range
   intact; the last ASN in the proposed block (4199999999) sits directly
   below the start of the 32-bit private ASN range (4200000000).
   Reserving 4199975000–4199999999 for amateur radio operators
   participating in 44net would simplify ASN assignment, reduce reliance
   on RIR procedures for individual licensed operators, and make it
   straightforward to identify 44net participants on the global
   Internet.

2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.











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3.  Problem Statement

   Despite the growth of 44net, amateur radio operators have been
   hindered by the RIR process to obtain resources.  These typically
   include paying other organizations for sponsorship, requiring
   resource holders to be registered business entities in the region of
   use, or providing proof of operational needs that 44net operators may
   not have.

   This has led to fragmentation in the use of ASNs within 44net, with
   different operators using a variety of ASNs obtained from RIRs.  This
   fragmentation complicates routing and management of network traffic
   within the amateur radio community, as there is no common ASN range
   that identifies 44net participants.  This lack of a dedicated range
   has led to 44net prefixes being announced to the global Internet from
   ASNs that may not be recognized as part of the amateur radio
   community, leading to potential filtering or misrouting of traffic.
   There is also the operators that have to spend money to have a
   connection to use that ASN that could be better used for other
   amateur radio activities and experiments.

   By reserving a block of ASNs specifically for 44net, amateur radio
   operators would be able to obtain ASNs easily and without cost,
   streamlining the process and reducing administrative overhead.  This
   would facilitate better routing and management of network traffic
   within the amateur radio community, as all 44net participants could
   be identified by their ASN range.

   The Special Purpose ASN range 4199975000–4199999999 (25,000 ASNs)
   would provide a dedicated pool of ASNs for 44net operators,
   simplifying the process of obtaining ASNs and reducing cost and
   administrative overhead.  This would allow any licensed amateur radio
   operator to easily acquire an ASN for use in 44net, enable network
   operators to recognize licensed amateur radio operators by ASN, and
   facilitate better routing and management of network traffic within
   the amateur radio community.

   We also note the draft proposal to allocate the IPv6 block 44::/16 to
   44net [draft-ursini-44net-ipv6-allocation-00], which would provide a
   contiguous block of IPv6 addresses dedicated to amateur radio use.
   The allocation of special use IPv6 addresses would further enhance
   the ability of amateur radio operators to participate in 44net and
   facilitate the development of innovative applications and services.
   This further illustrates the need for dedicated resources for 44net
   within the broader Internet infrastructure.






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3.1.  Benefits of Special Use ASN Allocation

   Reserving the ASN range 4199975000–4199999999 (25,000 ASNs) for 44net
   would provide several key benefits to the amateur radio community:

   1.  Simplified Access: Amateur radio operators could easily obtain
   ASNs without going through the RIR process, reducing administrative
   overhead and cost.

   2.  Community Identity: A dedicated ASN range would help identify
   44net participants, fostering a sense of community and shared purpose
   among amateur radio operators.

   3.  Improved Routing: With a common ASN range, routing and management
   of network traffic within 44net would be streamlined, reducing
   complexity and potential misrouting issues.

   4.  Encouragement of Experimentation: By lowering barriers to entry,
   more amateur radio operators may be encouraged to experiment with
   digital communications, advancing the state of the art in amateur
   networking.

4.  IANA Considerations

   This document requests that IANA reserve the ASN range 4199975000
   through 4199999999 (inclusive) as a Special-Purpose ASN block titled
   "Special-Purpose ASNs for 44Net" and record that block in the IANA
   Special-Purpose ASN registry.

   IANA is requested to create and maintain a public registry for this
   block with the following fields: ASN, Assignee Name, Assignee
   Contact, Purpose, Date of Assignment, and Reference (for example,
   this document).

   Assignments from this block are intended solely for licensed amateur
   radio operators and entities acting on their behalf for operation
   within the Amateur Radio Digital Communications Network (44Net).
   Assignments MUST include documentation demonstrating the assignee's
   licensed amateur radio status (or the authority under which the
   assignee acts) and a brief statement of intended use in 44Net.  IANA
   is requested to record each assignment in the registry defined above.










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   Operational responsibility for day-to-day allocation and verification
   may be delegated by IANA to a suitable community-designated steward
   (for example, ARDC or another qualified organization) by mutual
   agreement; any such delegation, including the delegated
   organization's name, scope of authority, and point of contact, SHOULD
   be recorded in the registry.  Any delegation or changes to assignment
   procedures SHOULD be documented openly and announced to the IETF
   community.

   Requests for assignment or additional operational details SHOULD be
   sent to the community-designated steward.  The steward will vet
   requests and perform assignments from the reserved block, and will
   coordinate with IANA and the IETF so that assigned ASNs are recorded
   in the IANA registry.  Where IANA retains final authority over
   registration, the steward and IANA will cooperate to ensure registry
   entries are created or updated promptly.  This request is made in
   accordance with the guidance in RFC 8126.

   IANA is requested to list this allocation in the "Special-Purpose
   Autonomous System (AS) Numbers" registry.  In addition, IANA (or the
   appropriate protocol registry operator) is requested to create and
   maintain a separate ledger titled "Special-Purpose ASNs for 44Net"
   within the Autonomous System Numbers protocol registries.  That
   ledger SHALL record all assignments made under this allocation and
   mirror the public registry fields described above so that assignments
   made by the community-designated steward are visible in both the
   Special-Purpose ASN registry and the dedicated 44Net ledger.

5.  Security Considerations

   This document should not affect the security of the Internet.

6.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

7.  Informative References








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   [draft-ursini-44net-ipv6-allocation-00]
              Ursini, P. L., "Reservation of IPv6 Address Block 44::/16
              for Amateur Radio Digital Communications (44Net)", 2025,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ursini-44net-
              ipv6-allocation-00>.

Author's Address

   Austin Zachary Hadley (editor)
   H2 Technologies LLC
   1293 County Road 1475
   Ashland, Ohio 44805
   United States of America
   Phone: +1 419-207-0762
   Email: austinhadley@h2technologiesllc.com




































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