The Internet Society Board of Trustees has discussed the upcoming World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) and expressed concern that its outcomes could have a negative impact on the Internet. WCIT is a conference held by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that will take place this december in Dubai, UAE.
On a meeting in Vancouver, Canada, ISOC's Board of Trustees has discussed the impact of some of the proposed changes to the International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs) Treaty. As ISOC experts note, some of these may have a "negative impact" on the future of the Internet.
Eva Frölich, Chair of the Internet Society Board of Trustees, remarked, “The Internet Society believes that the International Telecommunication Regulations should contain high level principles and that revisions should focus on things that have clearly worked in the field of global communications: competition, privatization, and transparent and independent regulation. It is our sincere hope that revisions to the ITRs will not interfere with the continued innovation and evolution of telecommunications networks and the Internet.”
The Board has also noted that the success of the Internet has been driven by open, consensus-based standards processes that rely on openness and transparency. The Board experts believe that certain changes to the ITRs would, among other things, make ITU-T standards mandatory, create a new model for Internet interconnection via the ITRs, adversely impact Internet naming, numbering, and addressing, regulate network aspects that have never been part of telecommunications, including IP routing, and extend the scope and application of the ITRs to the Internet and Internet providers.
The Internet Society Board of Trustees called on governments not to adopt changes to the ITRs that would undermine the security, stability, and innovative potential of networks worldwide.
The Internet Society is a not-for-profit entity that is dedicated to ensuring that the Internet stays open, transparent and defined by its stakeholders. Starting July 1, 2012, the Coordination Center is a corporate member of the ISOC and can recommend experts for the Internet Society Board of Trustees.
