gpg 2.1.x can't retrieve any keys from any keyservers, gpg 2.0.x can ?

[lists at ssl-mail.com]

Today's the day i've been told to 'fish or cut bait' re: GPG 2.1+ . So one last hail-mary pass at it ...

Getting any keys, e.g Google GPG keys, with GPG2 2.0.24 works OK,

gpg --version
	gpg: WARNING: unsafe ownership on configuration file `/root/.gnupg/gpg.conf'
	gpg (GnuPG) 2.0.24
	libgcrypt 1.7.3
	Copyright (C) 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
	License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
	This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
	There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

	Home: ~/.gnupg
	Supported algorithms:
	Pubkey: RSA, RSA, RSA, ELG, DSA
	Cipher: IDEA, 3DES, CAST5, BLOWFISH, AES, AES192, AES256, TWOFISH,
	        CAMELLIA128, CAMELLIA192, CAMELLIA256
	Hash: MD5, SHA1, RIPEMD160, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, SHA224
	Compression: Uncompressed, ZIP, ZLIB, BZIP2


gpg -v --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys 4CCA1EAF950CEE4AB83976DCA040830F7FAC5991
	gpg: requesting key 0xA040830F7FAC5991 from hkp server pgp.mit.edu
	Version: SKS 1.1.5
	gpg: armor header:
	Comment: Hostname: pgp.mit.edu
	gpg: armor header:
	gpg: pub  1024D/0xA040830F7FAC5991 2007-03-08  Google, Inc. Linux Package Signing Key <linux-packages-keymaster at google.com>
	gpg: using PGP trust model
	gpg: key 0xA040830F7FAC5991: public key "Google, Inc. Linux Package Signing Key <linux-packages-keymaster at google.com>" imported
	gpg: 29 keys cached (920 signatures)
	gpg: 0 keys processed (0 validity counts cleared)
	gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
	gpg: Total number processed: 1
	gpg:               imported: 1

After an upgrade from 2.0.24 > 2.1.16 I can't retrieve keys anymore.

gpg --version
	gpg (GnuPG) 2.1.16
	libgcrypt 1.7.3
	Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
	License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
	This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
	There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

	Home: /root/.gnupg
	Supported algorithms:
	Pubkey: RSA, ELG, DSA, ECDH, ECDSA, EDDSA
	Cipher: IDEA, 3DES, CAST5, BLOWFISH, AES, AES192, AES256, TWOFISH,
	        CAMELLIA128, CAMELLIA192, CAMELLIA256
	Hash: SHA1, RIPEMD160, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, SHA224
	Compression: Uncompressed, ZIP, ZLIB, BZIP2

gpg -v --keyserver pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys 4CCA1EAF950CEE4AB83976DCA040830F7FAC5991
	gpg: keyserver receive failed: No keyserver available


This happens on all our machines I've tried; so far, ~ 20 in 7 different locations. 
This happens with any & all keyservers & protocols.  

I've responded here, and it just gets dropped.  I've filed a bug, and it gets no further action.  That's all cool, it's "free", and obviously not my app. 

Kinof hoped somebody would be interested since it clearly works in 2.0, but not 2.1.