"That bloc, 44/8, is a little controversial because Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), the foundation that exists to support amateur radio and digital communication science and technology, sold a quarter of it to Amazon.com in 2019 for over $100 million. ARDC gained access to 44/8 in 1981, a time when nobody had an inkling that IPv4 addresses would ever be in short supply and the sole delegator of IP addresses - internet pioneer Jon Postel - happily assigned them when he thought requests had merit."
"Once the internet became popular and IPv4 became scarce, internet governance strengthened and regional internet registries (RIRs) came into being to oversee and develop policy for IP address allocation. RIRs still have that role today and now require would-be IP address users to justify their needs, possess appropriate structures, and meet other criteria. Generous grants of IP addresses, and capricious carve-outs of addresses for special purposes, are now very infrequent."
Amateur radio operators currently use the 44/8 IPv4 block allocated in 1981 to meet community addressing needs. ARDC sold a quarter of that block to Amazon in 2019 for over $100 million. Early allocations occurred when IPv4 addresses were abundant and Jon Postel delegated addresses liberally. IPv4 scarcity prompted creation of regional internet registries (RIRs) that now govern address allocation and require justification and organizational structures. The amateur radio community has developed practices around 44/8, and a proposal recommends reserving an IPv6 44::/16 block and coordinating with IANA and RIRs to address future needs.
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