We charge *everyone* for registration services. That is how it should
be. There is no reason why governments (read: taxpayers) should be
footing the bill.
This would be ok if there was a market for registry's.
The current Ripe approach seems to build a large byracrazy, with
lots and lots of paperworks, so you need more resources to process
the paperworks, does not really support the part of the Internet
we are where supposed to facilitate.
If there is a finite resource that needs to be managed, it should be
done in a fair way for all players, and right now i don't think
that's not the case if we look at the globe as a whole.
Fix the rules, open up more registrys wich all apply the same rules,
maybe someone needs to audit the registrys to make sure that things are
done correct, and have them compete on speed and effectiveness and cost.
--Peter