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<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dear Chapter Delegates,</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Last year, we heard clearly from many of you that the Internet Society’s policy briefs are essential tools for

 your work. You emphasized that having accessible, up-to-date, and authoritative resources is critical for engaging effectively in local, regional, and global policy forums.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">We listened to that feedback and are pleased to announce that we have revitalized and "restarted" the policy

 brief series. Over the last few months, we have worked to publish a fresh set of documents addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing the Internet today (two of which went through our PDP process; thanks to everyone that contributed!).</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Here are the eight briefs published so far (with a few more coming!), designed to support your advocacy and

 help safeguard the open Internet:</span></p>

<ul data-path-to-node="7" style="text-align: left;">

<li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation"><b>Age Restrictions and Online Safety</b> (December 2025) A framework of recommendations to advocate for safety measures that respect both privacy and security while balancing child safety with technical realities.<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/age-restrictions-and-online-safety/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQqQI" data-outlook-id="c21be2b0-c352-4d93-ac20-b16b7af0d765" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/age-restrictions-and-online-safety/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation"><b>Perspectives on Internet Content Blocking</b> (September 2025) Arguments against using DNS and IP blocking to address illegal content, as these methods are often ineffective and cause collateral damage to legitimate services.<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/perspectives-on-internet-content-blocking/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQqgI" data-outlook-id="2bb038e7-617b-4813-b25e-875d818508a2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/perspectives-on-internet-content-blocking/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation">Spectrum Policy (October 2025) Recommendations for a "toolbox" approach to spectrum management--including license-exempt and shared access--to help community-centered connectivity solutions reach underserved areas.

<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/doc/2025/spectrum-policy/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQqwI" data-outlook-id="d4770959-b03e-4aba-b9e0-1a84496ee8dc" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">

https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/doc/2025/spectrum-policy/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation">Internet Shutdowns (October 2025) An overview of the economic and human rights costs of government-mandated shutdowns, urging policymakers to adopt "no shutdown" policies and build more resilient infrastructure.

<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/internet-shutdowns/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQrAI" data-outlook-id="97e5b639-49c3-4c4d-a30f-4dc41d0a2ada" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">

https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/internet-shutdowns/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation">Open Internet Standards (October 2025) Highlighting how open standards (like those from the IETF) fuel innovation, with a call for governments to formally recognize and support them in public policy and procurement.

<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/policy-brief-open-internet-standards/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQrQI" data-outlook-id="3f81d170-0188-4d69-a30e-4719898582b3" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">

https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/policy-brief-open-internet-standards/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation"><b>Enhancing the Resilience of Submarine Internet Infrastructure</b> (November 2025) Strategies to protect vital subsea cables through infrastructure diversity, cross-border collaboration, and data transparency standards like the Open

 Fibre Data Standard (OFDS). <a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/enhancing-the-resilience-of-submarine-internet-infrastructure/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQrgI" data-outlook-id="0590e051-7753-4b5e-b3f4-e9a26c712594" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">

https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/enhancing-the-resilience-of-submarine-internet-infrastructure/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation"><b>Internet Governance</b> (November 2025) An exploration of the multistakeholder model, emphasizing that the Internet is best governed through open, inclusive, and consensus-driven processes rather than centralized control.<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/internet-governance/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQrwI" data-outlook-id="e6de6c11-767c-4005-b613-023c933f1bea" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/internet-governance/</a></p>

</li><li style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">

<p role="presentation">Licensing Approaches for Community-Centered Connectivity (November 2025) A guide for regulators to create dedicated, low-barrier licensing frameworks that allow community networks to legally operate and access funding.

<a href="https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/licensing-approaches-for-community-centered-connectivity/" target="_blank" class="ng-star-inserted" rel="noopener" data-hveid="0" data-ved="0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwin9MeloqSRAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQsAI" data-outlook-id="38dacecc-3637-4631-8f47-880fa6d7872f" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">

https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2025/licensing-approaches-for-community-centered-connectivity/</a></p>

</li></ul>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Please do not hesitate to reach out with feedback on these documents or with ideas for future topics you would

 like to see covered.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Best wishes,</span></p>

<p style="text-align: left; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Dr. Joe and the policy teams</span></p>

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<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">--</span></p>

<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Joseph Lorenzo Hall PhD</span></p>

<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Distinguished Technologist, Internet Society</span></p>

<p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);"><u><a href="mailto:hall@isoc.org" data-outlook-id="fd4741c3-6197-43c8-b470-398e0c38aa14" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">hall@isoc.org</a></u></span><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: black;"> |

 +1-703-483-9504</span></p>

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 @internetsociety</span></p>

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