First off, their is plenty of IPv4 space left. I deal in /20's and /19's on a weekly basis.
That being said, perhaps certain COMPANIES are running out of IP space and are having a hard time getting more (i.e. justification). That is possible. Additionally, if ARIN is breaking the ISPs balls, they are going to break yours. Shit runs down hill.
With the IP space available on the open market,.... all of the defunct companies that had huge allocations they no longer need, and those not using 90% of their allocation that could be reclaimed... there is more than enough IPv4 space out there to last a good 5-10 years longer EASILY.
The problem is that ARIN/RIPE/etc. are not going to reclaim the IPv4 space, as they see IPv6 as the future and the sooner it gets here the better. The pseudo IPv4 crunch is a way to force ISP's to upgrade their network and start moving the web in this direction.
