WASHINGTON ��The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is still worried that we�re going to run out of IP addresses, according to its blog.
�
The internet technology community has already done its part to prevent this by developing Internet Protocol version 6, which offers 2 to-the-128th-power � 340 undecillion! �IP addresses (up from the 4.3 billion IP addresses supported by IPv4, a huge number that modern demand has already nearly exhausted).�
�
However, approximately one-third of current U.S. businesses are IPv6 capable, meaning that they cannot take advantage of the expanded IP addresses.
�
In light of this, the NTIA wants to know why services have upgraded to IPv6, what the challenges were, the anticipated ROI and more. The administration has put out a request for comment to all stakeholders in order to learn more about the factors that influence the decision to switch, or not.
�
The NTIA hopes the information can then be used to encourage more organizations to adopt IPv6, and it plans to use the comments as a source for the upcoming IPv6 Best Practice Forum to be held in Mexico this December as part of the Internet Governance Forum.
�
�We hope to build on this work to ensure U.S. businesses and other organizations have the infrastructure in place today to support tomorrow�s Internet-based innovations,� Ashley Heineman, telecommunications policy specialist for the Office of International Affairs, who wrote the NTIA blog.
�
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai chimed in on Twitter, calling this an �Important but underappreciated problem: legacy IP addresses are running out & we need to transition to#IPv6.#IoT.�
�
Submit your own comments to NTIA via email toipv6@ntia.doc.govby Oct. 3.�
