Comments on ICANN Strategic Plan from InfraGard National Members Alliance
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Dear Dr. Twomey,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The Internet increasingly underpins the critical infrastructure of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> and other advanced nations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our economic well-being and increasingly our social dialogues are conducted through this medium.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Increasingly, the Internet has also become a place where disgruntled individuals and organized crime take advantage of the global connections, anonymity and freedom of action to disrupt legitimate activity and even threaten its core functions.<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><o:p> </o:p></B></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">The InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) is the private sector side of the FBI’s InfraGard program.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The INMA represents the 20,000-plus InfraGard subject matter experts (SMEs) across the country who consist of a cross section of the owners and operators of the critical infrastructures of our nation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We understand the value of establishing cooperation between government and a wide range of private sector individuals and organizations to improve security outcomes.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Our view is that ICANN has increasingly performed that role for key Internet functions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The issues listed for ICANN 2008-2011 strategic planning process demonstrate the organization understands the growing security and stability challenges it faces.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>ICANN must help coordinate the dialogue on key issues such as Internet registrars’ roles in reducing the level of malicious behavior such as spam, phishing and the growth of botnets.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>ICANN’s strategic planning needs to address how it will respond within in its purview to these growing concerns.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Going further, the INMA believes meeting crucial security challenges is not just ICANN’s responsibility.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>All those government, private sector, and even individuals with a stake in the Internet as the vibrant, global and secure medium must come together.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We hope that ICANN’s strategic plan can include developing approaches to help orchestrate efforts within the Internet community to developing more robust means for providing solutions to problems that inherently will require public-private cooperation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>InfraGard strives to play that role within the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> by providing a network for these local SMEs to interact with local, state and federal agencies as well as other SMEs across regions and the country<B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">.</B> <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We support ICANN’s efforts to have its planning both address security issues and include input from across its stakeholder base.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Robert Schmidt<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">President<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">InfraGard National Members <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Alliance</st1:City></st1:place><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><A href="mailto:President@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>President@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</A><o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">(312) 203-8307<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></P> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>_____________________________________<BR>Sheri A. Donahue<BR>Managing Director<BR>InfraGard National Members Alliance<BR>(703) 772-2294</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2425 Wilson Blvd.<BR>Suite 240<BR>Arlington, VA 22201-3326</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><A href="javascript:main.compose('new','t=SDonahue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx')">SDonahue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</A><BR><A href="http://www.infragardmembers.org/"; target=1>www.infragardmembers.org</A><BR>______________________________________</DIV></DIV> Attachment:
ICANN Letter from INMA 101107.pdf |