Membership of Internet Service Providers (ISP's)

["John D. Goodspeed" <John@Annapolis.Net>]

To: The Board of Directors, New IANA

All Internet Service Providers (ISP) should themselves be automatic members
of the New IANA.

I believe that the Internet Service Provider (ISP) may be best suited to
represent the needs of the Internet community at the local, regional,
national and international level. Currently there are several thousand
independent ISP's operating worldwide. They already offer diversity of
representation, some cater to web sites, some to access, some offer very low
cost basic service, others offer very fast service at a price premium. The
simply fact is that ISP's are the Internet user's primary contact, period.
There in no practical way that a typical Internet end user would take the
time to figure out how to communicate with an appointed New IANA board
member in a meaningful way.

It is of paramount importance that the New IANA incorporate the thoughts of
all ISP's who, in reality, are most in touch with today's Internet concerns
and needs as voiced daily by the Internet using public.

Actual ISP business practices and customer bases are so diverse that the
Internet community would be better served by having every ISP directly
represent their views and those of their constituent users directly to the
New IANA.

ISP's operate in a world of extreme competition and low profit margins and
thus can be counted upon to make reasonable representation on issues that
involve price versus performance. Virtually all Internet decisions will boil
down to cost to implement versus performance gained and I feel that ISP's
are in the best position to understand these economic issues.

The ISP may well be in a better position to understand Internet issues and
to
represent actual end users of the Internet than would be an arm chair
academic or purely political representative or others of the select elite.
The current practice of the New IANA to select its board members from what
it considers to be the Internet intelligentcia is a form of elitist thinking
of a strikingly socialist nature.

I would say that all ISP organizations whether they be private, public or
government entities should automatically become dues paying New IANA
members. These ISP's are the actual entities which pay for the ongoing
building of the Internet itself. To deprive the actual owners and builders
of the Internet infrastructure the right to self direction and direct
representation within the New IANA is both unnatural and improper.

Of course, academic and political jurisdictions should be represented as
well, however I stress that it would be improper for the New IANA to make
decisions based upon their input without the consideration of the entire ISP
community who are, after all, the world's frontline, first contact with the
Internet.

It would be unreasonable for the New IANA to make decisions without input
from
the entire ISP community because without the ISP's "real world input"
decisions could be made that would prove to be restrictive, monopolistic,
expensive or simply impossible to implement.

Thank you for your consideration, and I welcome your comments.

John D. Goodspeed