17 October 2008
Dear World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly Delegate,
On behalf of the Internet Society, a Sector Member of the Telecommunication
Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union since 1995, it gives me great pleasure to provide you with information on the fundamental Internet institutions involved in creating the standards that make the Internet work, and more broadly with the ongoing governance and operation of the Internet. This information is intended to inform WTSA discussions of the future work on Internet standards, Internet governance and the importance of ensuring that standardization forums are open and inclusive in their work.
The Internet Society and its affiliated organizations believe it is vital for all participants in the development of standards to understand the established Internet institutions and their working methods. We provide the attached information in order to help delegates guide the ITU’s planning process to develop activities that complement the work done in Internet standards institutions, focusing on the ITU’s well recognized areas of expertise and mandate. We are confident that no one wants to create situations of overlap or duplication of effort.
This is particularly true in the context of ensuring that developing countries are able to participate meaningfully in the standards development process. The Internet standards development organizations share a deep concern that all countries and all stakeholders are able to contribute their expertise and knowledge to their work. Each of those organizations takes active steps to facilitate participation by orienting their work toward online participation, and by providing fellowships to enable qualified participants to attend and participate in face to face meetings. The Internet Society plays a key role in these processes at the global, regional and national levels.
The Internet Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Geneva, Switzerland, and Washington, DC, USA, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world.
The Internet Society provides leadership in addressing issues that confront the future of the Internet, and is the organizational home for the groups responsible for Internet infrastructure standards, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF). The Internet Society acts not only as a global clearinghouse for Internet information and education, but also as a facilitator and coordinator of many Internet-related initiatives around the world. For over 15 years the Internet Society has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time.
The Internet Society has more than 80 organizational members, more than 28,000 individual members and over 90 chapters around the world. The Internet Society has also created regional bureaus to better serve the Internet community around the world.
As the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Society, I am pleased to participate in this meeting of the WTSA in Johannesburg. Along with my colleague, Leslie Daigle, Chief Internet Technology Officer of the Internet Society, I look forward to the opportunity to meet you to discuss the role of the Internet standards development bodies. I also hope that you will take advantage of the open invitation to collaborate with us in the work of developing and deploying Internet standards, to ensure that the Internet truly is for everyone.
Sincerely yours,
Lynn St.Amour
President and Chief Executive Officer The Internet Society
Internet Society