Internet Society
President’s Report

San Diego, CA USA
December 9, 2000

The millennium year 2000 is nearly over and it has marked the start of an inexorable transition for the Internet Society.  We emerged with the Internet itself, and as the Internet continues to evolve, so will – so must – ISOC.  Our strength, and certainly a major pillar in the foundation of our mission, springs directly from the roots of the IETF – Internet standards – and the unselfish and open methodologies employed there.  Our ability to continue to apply that culture, their processes and perspectives, will be vital to our continued success as we move through this transition.

Internet Society in Transition

To what transition am I referring?  Perhaps only a retrospective will make it clear and that can only be accomplished through an historical perspective with the passage of time.  However, there is very little question that dramatic changes have occurred, and are occurring, along with greatly expanded Internet usage by an ever broader and more diverse population throughout the world.  Because of our inherited culture and the principles upon which we operate, we have innately recognized the need to change accordingly to be even more inclusive in material ways.

Yes, our technical heritage is a great strength; but the culture wherein the IETF develops Internet standards is the major asset inuring to the Internet Society.  As our focus on the four pillars evolves, we will find the Society being drawn naturally to the areas most in need and where our true strength our open and unselfish culture will be most effective.  The Internet is still only in its embryonic stage and its application into virtually every aspect of our lives, in transparent as well as direct ways, will command our attention and action.

Operational Restructuring, the Four Pillars, and Platinum

The four pillars we have defined: Standards, Education and Training, Public Policy, and Member Services, are not new initiatives of the Internet Society.  We have been focused in these areas since our founding.  But as part of the transition occurring in 2000, we have restructured our operations, including the allocation of the budget for 2001, to specifically direct funds to programs and initiatives in these four primary areas.  The creation of the Platinum-Level Support Program allows organizations to target their contributions to the Internet Society, to the area, which is of greatest interest to them.  It seems clear, thus far, that the Standards program is the most popular.  I believe that is simply because the IETF has a long history of success.  It stands to reason that as the other areas we have designated become equally effective and well known, they too will find funds becoming more plentiful.

The Emergence of the ISTF

The Internet Society is unlikely to separate from the standards activity of the IETF indeed, with the advent of the Platinum program, our commitment is expected greatly to increase but the transition now beginning will thrust ISOC more and more into the societal aspect of Internet usage and integration.  I have great hopes for the ISTF, the IETF-like forum focusing on Internet societal issues, and I believe that the growing pains of its first years will form a solid foundation for its future.  I believe that the ISTF was founded some number of years before those it would serve were/are ready and, as a serendipitous result, it will be ideally suited to function effectively when the time is truly right perhaps in 2001.  We must not forsake the ISTF.

Each of our four pillars feeds the others.  Public Policy, in particular, is a key product of all other areas.  The Internet Society has never intended to control any aspect of the Internet or Internet policy.  Our seminal global activity in resolving the many and complex issues associated with the DNS was done with the intent of internationalizing and institutionalizing the administrative procedures and having them be recognized by all appropriate entities.  It is safe to say, ICANN would not exist today in the form that it does, without this early work by ISOC.  And its existence is testimony that we do not find it necessary to claim historical ownership to any Internet administrative or policy activity.

ISOC is Uniquely Positioned

At the same time, ISOC must become much more aggressive in pursuing global cooperation and coordination in the establishment of Internet policy.  That is not to say that policies should be created for their own sake, but when there are issues that arise, ISOC must be intimately involved.  We have over 60 official chapters; we have another 80 plus, in various stages of formation; we have individual members in over 170 countries.  The established activities and technical resources of the IETF, the growing and evolving capabilities within the ISTF, are additional assets that should be tapped.  Our history in the education and training of key individuals within developing countries has established a talented and influential cadre of people capable of significant accomplishment.  We are uniquely equipped to provide knowledge, perspective, diversity, and education appropriately reflective of our culture to the parties, and the processes they employ, in the development of public policy, globally.

In 1999, we created Vice President positions that were by and large outside of the board of Trustees.  Their roles were operational, were appointed by the president of ISOC, and reported to the president.  That structure continued in 2000 and will continue in 2001 with the additional goal of establishing regional directors or coordinators within each of the VP functional areas.  I believe this sort of expansion effect will facilitate more involvement by the membership and bring the assets of the Internet Society more succinctly to bear on the issues that will be confronting us in the future.  Our recent acceptance as an NGO to UNESCO places us in a position to work effectively within existing international organizations in the furtherance of our goals.   ISOC has a great deal to offer; we need only to harness that capability more effectively.

Internet Society Governance

Last year I suggested a possible new structure for the governance of ISOC.  The proposal included electing/selecting Trustees from the individual membership, chapters, organizations, IETF, and for the board to appoint specific Trustees.  This latter category would be for one-year terms (as opposed to the normal three-year term) and the appointments would carry very specific objectives such as fund raising, membership growth, etc.  We have never really explored any of the various options, through active discussions, that this proposal was meant to engender.  Perhaps the time for discussion of the governance restructuring concept proposed earlier is more appropriate today as we move to a broader focus through our four pillar construction.  In the event, Geoff Huston is presenting a proposal, along similar lines.  I strongly encourage serious discussion and consideration.  Change, even the pondering of change, can be a very positive influence on the energy and creativity of an organization.

Financial Aspects

To effectively meet the challenges of the future requires money.  ISOC spent most of 2000 working to recover from the financial failure of the otherwise very successful INET’99 conference and associated Network Training Workshop.  Additionally, in 1999, we prematurely and far too aggressively attacked a strategic planning for growth initiative that was costly and distracting.  Remarkably, in 2000, we have paid off all our debts from 1999 and are operating on a cash positive basis.  Our base line recurring revenue is the highest, by far, going into 2001, and is over four times what it was when I began, nearly five years ago. 

It would not be unwise to watch the financial results unfold for the first few months of the new year, but we should be ever mindful of opportunities that may be seized through a more aggressive posture.  Of course, finances must warrant any steps forward, still we must be wary of stagnation and too much internal focus.  The Internet Society is probably better positioned today than we have ever been previously, to more effectively achieve its goals and objectives.  To do so, however, may require bold action beyond which we are willing to go in the next several months.  Thus, as we see 2001 unfold, we will be well advised to remain poised ready to act quickly and decisively when an opportunity is presented.

Thank You

Much of what I have just written is done from thoughts resulting from a decision I made early in 2000, and the Trustees have known about for a few months: I will be retiring from the Internet Society effective March 2001.  It has been my privilege to lead the Society for the five years of the Internet’s most explosive and controversial years.  This will be my last President’s Report, and I would like to conclude by simply saying thank you and that these five years have been the most pleasurable, intense, and rewarding, of my career.