Dear ICANN Board Members,I am writing on behalf of The British Computer Society
to express our support for the Internet Society's (ISOC) bid to manage the .ORG registry.
The
British Computer Society (BCS) is the Chartered Engineering Institution for Information
Systems Engineering in the UK, with a .ORG registration itself (www.bcs.org).
Under its Royal Charter, the Society has a remit to consider the most advantageous
use of technology for society as a whole and would agree that the .ORG zones intended
for the "not for profit" community should be managed in the not for profit community
in a way which benefits this community.
We understand that ICANN, the organisation
which delegates management of domain names for the Internet globally, is seeking
bids for the future management of .ORG.
The Society believes that a successful
ISOC bid would be good for .ORG and
good for the Internet community for a number
of reasons.
First, as one of the oldest 'Internet institutions', ISOC has long
led activities that contribute to an open and stable Internet. Through its
current initiatives in support of education and training, internet standards and
protocol, and public policy, ISOC has played a critical role in ensuring that the
Internet has developed in a stable and open manner. ISOC also provides a voice
to the many talented individuals who wish to contribute to these issues and serves
as a global community for issues critical to the Internet's development. Additionally,
ISOC supports the open mechanisms that are so important in enabling true consensus
on key Internet developmental issues.
Second, ISOC's plans for .ORG will enable
it to flourish as a truly global home for non-commercial interests on the Internet.
Though well established, .ORG remains well short of its true potential, and ISOC,
as evidenced by the breadth of both its past and current undertakings, can be a credible
force in furthering .ORG's value to the non-commercial organisations across the world.
As a non-commercial entity itself, we believe ISOC will make an effective and
trustworthy steward for the domain.
Further, the Society believes that ISOC's mission
of ensuring "the open development,
evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit
of all people of the world" is in full harmony with .ORG's goals. For
10 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries
and these programs played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and
networks in virtually every country that has connected to the Internet in the last
8 years.
The BCS asks you to look favourably upon the Internet Society proposal
and to
appoint the Internet Society as the next registry manager for .ORG, a very
important
domain.
Sincerely,
David Morriss
Vice President (External Relations),
The British Computer Society
United Kingdom