ISOC status 6/2002

1. ISOC status 6/2002 Brian E Carpenter Chair, ISOC Board of Trustees

2. Topics • A brief history of ISOC • ISOC’s four pillars • Adapting the governance model to the new world • Forward

3. Foundation • Founded in 1992 with a self-appointed Board, to • facilitate & support technical evolution of the Internet as a research & education infrastructure, & stimulate involvement of scientific community, industry, government & others in evolution of the Internet • educate scientific community, industry & public on technology, use & application of the Internet • promote educational applications of Internet technology for benefit of government, colleges & universities, industry, & public • provide a forum for exploration of new Internet applications, & stimulate collaboration among organizations in operational use of the global Internet.

4. Original governance model • Paying Organisational Members; no position on the Board of Trustees • Org. members sit in an Advisory Council • Paying individual members, voting for Trustee elections • Originally, most members were from the technical community (IETF, NRENs, ISPs, etc.) • Three Charter Trustees with veto power • TERENA, CNRI and EDUCOM

5. 1997 Change to Governance • The Charter Trustees agreed to give up their seats and their veto power • All Trustees elected by individual members • Org. Members still have no Board position

6. Environment changed since 1992 • Many successes, but also… • Constant turnover in individual membership; no longer based in the core technical community • Organisational Members Advisory Council proved not to have the expected influence • The Internet’s success led to many other organisations with overlapping missions • Difficulties in maintaining financial stability, especially since dot.com bust • By 2000, ISOC mission was becoming unclear

7. 9% Individual Members VOTING POWER (2001) 100% Individual Members 91% Organisation Members DOLLARS PAID (2001) Do you see a problem here? 0% Organisation Members

8. Four pillars of activity (as defined in June 2000) Web Briefings Chapters SIGs IETF, RFC Editor Statements Consultancy NGO status INET NDSS NTW Think Quest … Education Standards Public Policy Members

9. Clearer vision • Defining the mission in these four pillars • Gave a clearer view of the budget and its pressure points • Allowed us to identify successes and failures • Allowed us to discover what the Organisational Members care about: open standards above all • It became clear that the composition of the Board did not reflect either ISOC’s technical roots or the priorities of its principal source of funds

10. Change was unavoidable • Goals • Correct the evident imbalance of power • Strengthen ISOC Chapters as the best forum for individual member participation • Guarantee connection to technical community • Achieve “industrial strength” Board • Reduce expense during the industry downturn

11. 2002 Change to Governance • By-laws and election rules changed • 6 Trustees elected by Organisational Members • 3 Trustees elected by Chapters for Individual Members • 3 Trustees selected by IETF • Board may appoint a few additional Trustees • complete transition will take two more years • Happy side-effect: individual membership is now free of charge • Allowed substantial budget restructuring • Less expense than before, especially on membership administration

12. Forward! • The first elections under the new procedures have just finished • We now have a strong Board which will • Further clarify the pillars of ISOC’s mission • Assist in strengthening the chapters • Enhance fund raising • Next stop: INET2002 in Washington D.C. this month http://www.inet2002.org