10.1 The 1st APNIC Meeting

APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Center) held the 1st meeting from 16th January to 17th January at Cheraronkon University Bang-kok. It may be strange that APNIC worked a lot so far, but it has a reason.

Because APNIC linked with APNG (Asia Pacific Networking Group) so far, and everything debated at APNG. APNG, it was called APCCIRN/APEPG (Asia Pacific Coordinating Committee for International Research Networking/Asia Pacific Engineering and Planning Group), they revised it after summer meeting 1994. They held the meeting twice a year. So, the title ,"the 1st" means "the 1st APNIC original meeting".

We concerned about the percentage of attendance because of the 1st meeting. But the meeting was well attended as a result of the interest in APNIC has grown. It was very hard for the university people who offer the place to stay and hold the meeting. But they were happy to see the interest in APNIC has grown.

The participation number of APNIC Meeting by the nation

   CHINA 3         PHILIPPINES 1    THAILAND 47
   HONG KONG 4     GUAM 1           MALAYSIA 1
   SOUTH KOREA 4   AUSTRALIA 2      SINGAPORE 3
   JAPAN 7         NEW ZEALAND 1    INDONESIA 2
   TAIWAN 5        INDIA 1
            

10.2.The most important discussion -the way of collect-

On the meeting, it reported the present situation from each coutry at the beginning. And the next day, it reported about the prospects for the future at the end of Meeting. It took long time to discuss how to collect on APNIC. JPNIC is also discussing about registration fees, it is the same as APNIC. APNIC accepts lots of application for address allocation beyond their estimate, with the spread of Internet in Asia. APNIC can not deal with the application, and it will be failure.

APNIC has not charged a membership fees until now. Some countries repulse to charge, because APNIC's work was divided into JAPAN,SOUTH KOREA and AUSTRALIA NIC until now. Anyway, if APNIC needs to collect the funds, there are 3 ways to collect.

1. To collect a membership fees (the same as JPNIC until 1994)
2. To collect the charge
3. To rely on the other funds (the U.S. InterNIC rely on the National Science Foundation)

Mr.David R Conrad (a member of IIJ, JPNIC-WG) who is APNIC's Interim Directorate made its original plan through e-mail discussion last year. It was the way of (2). But, some coutries oppose to collect the charge, and some coutries propose to offer the fund. For the time being, we decided to collect the way of (3).It conditions that it will be examined APNIC Meeting in June 1995. It took a long time to decide.

So far, it discussed the way of (2) on the e-mail discussion. APNIC-WG in JPNIC planned on condition that to collect the charge. So, we have to change the plan after this decision. Anyway, APNIC will collect the charge in the near future as most people consider.

10.3 Exceptions for JPNIC

In the Asia Pacific Area, there are not so many coutries that have their own NIC (JAPAN,SOUTH KOREA and AUSTRALIA only), and the other countries are preparing for their own NIC (proto NIC). But we think that the interest for NIC work are great. For example, we debated unofficially on the first day after dinner. We talked about domain name beyond the DNS. Someone asked about geographic type domain name in Japan. We think that the experience of JPNIC will be useful on the other coutries. For example, the problems that membership fees and charge will debate and do ahead of other countries. After this, it is important to link with each other about various experience and problems in the Asia Pacific Area.