ISPCP
ISPCP (ISPs and Connectivity Providers) Constituency is part of ICANN's Generic Name Supporting Organization (GNSO). Its primary role is to fulfill roles and responsibilities set forth by the ICANN and GNSO Bylaws, rules, policies and activities. It was constituted by the ICANN Board on October 18, 1999.
Responsibilities
The ISPCP Constituency is expected to effectively represent the views and interests of Internet service providers to ensure that the needs and concerns of the ISPs are balanced with the public interest. They elect three member representatives to the Names Council and one representative to the ICANN Nominating Committee. The ISPCP is committed to maintaining a wide range pf membershipship participation and transparency.[1]
Membership
The members of the ISPCP Constituency are entities that operate name servers to third parties or operators of internet backbone network based on TCP/IP and provide transit to either Internet users or third party Internet content. Internet service providers or connectivity networks may apply for membership with the constituency as long as they are able to demonstrate the activities of the GNSO impact their organization and show that they understand that the delegates appointed by the Constituency are expected to regularly participate in the Constituency's work, events and activities.[2] Currently, the ISPCP has 38 members which include ABRANET, British Telecom, CSL Deutsche Telecom, Asimelec, CAIP, ETNO among others.
Executive Committee
Functions
The Constituency has an executive committee that performs the following functions:[3]
- Reviews applications for membership in the ISPC
- Carries out the administrative functions related with ISPCP operations such as scheduling meetings and preparation and publication of minutes, maintains suitable ways to facilitate contact and disseminates information to its members regarding activities, events and other functions undertaken by the secretariat
- Facilitates and formulates membership consensus on policy issues to provide advise to the Names Council and other ICANN bodies
- Assesses and collects membership fees
Staff
Members of the Executive Committee include:
- Tony Holmes, Chairman, BT (UK)
- Tony Harris, Deputy Chair, CABASE (Argentina)
- Greg Ruth, Deputy Chair, Verizon (US)
- Alain Bidron, France Telecom (France)
- Antonio Tavares, ABRANET, (Brazil)
ISPCP Statements on ICANN Policy Issues
The Constituency regularly provides comments or statements to ICANN Policy Issues by building and gathering internal consensus among its members. ISPCP statements on ICANN Policy Issues include:
- The Constituency's response regarding the Staff Report on the Whois Implementation, whereby the ISP community expressed their concern regarding the Operational Point of Contact (OPOC) proposal to reform the WHOis. ISPCP pointed out that potential changes on the WHOis will possibly hinder the activities and performance of the ISP community in a effectively and efficiently.[4]
- Comments to the US Department of Commerce on ICANN Contract Renewal wherein the Constituency expressed their continued support to ICANN. They believed that the guiding principles of ICANN's DNS management such as stability, competition, private sector participation, bottom-up coordination and multi-stakeholder representation are relevant and critical for the global internet community. According to them, the recent re-organization of ICANN demonstrated progress and it was able to meet the goals set forth by the White Paper. ICANN satisfactorily met its primary tasks and milestones based on the MOU with the Department of Commerce.The internet has grown rapidly and IANA's services has improved and became more professional. Furthermore, ISP community recommended the establishment of a new and clear timetable for ICANN"s systematic and orderly transition towards private sector management and they also emphasized effective staffing of IANA and ICANN's ccTLD liaisons are significant to address the concerns and issues of ccTLD they believed that focusing on technology tools to address the root management is often over emphasized.[5]
- Position on New gTLD Expansion- The Constituency emphasized that an informed discussion is required regarding the need of the internet community for new gTLDs and the establishment of guidelines for the implementation of new gTLDs.[6]