[chapter-delegates] Draft ISOC strategic operating plan

[Lyman Chapin]

I don't expect the problems with the PDF version of the document to 
be fixed before Monday, so in the meantime, the following plain-text 
version can be used. Apologies for the compatibility problems -

- Lyman

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The Strategic Operating Plan of The Internet Society

Preliminary Draft of 2 March 2005 (v1.8)


[During the review phase, comments and explanations by the editor 
that are not intended to be or become part of the finished document 
will appear in this font and this color.] [NB: in this text version, 
comments will appear in brackets.]


Introduction

The Internet Society was founded in 1992 to achieve two fundamental 
purposes: to provide support for the Internet Engineering Task Force 
(IETF) and to promote the responsible and effective use of the 
Internet through education, discussion, and advice to public policy 
makers. Many of the improvements that have been realized since then 
in Internet access and use in developing countries can be attributed 
to the Society's conferences and training programmes, and to the 
activities of ISOC chapters. However, during the past five years, 
ISOC has experienced major restructuring and endured great 
limitations due to financial constraints both from within the 
organisation and throughout the industry. With the recent 
establishment of the Public Interest Registry, the Internet Society 
has a new source of funds to support its activities in the public 
interest.

As the Society enters this new phase, it is essential that its goals 
and objectives be well-defined, and that its actions, and the 
positions it takes on issues that confront the evolving Internet, be 
grounded in exemplary and well-articulated fundamental principles and 
governed by a clear, robust, and ambitous strategic operating plan.


Vision

[Crafting a vision statement that is both compelling and brief is a 
notoriously tricky business. It is not possible to distill everything 
that ISOC considers to be important into a single statement, so it is 
entirely possible that the statements presented in this draft fail to 
convey an adequately satisfying sense of "what ISOC is about." The 
editor's goal is to encourage consensus on "vision" to arise from 
discussion of ISOC's mission, core values, and goals and objectives, 
which are the subject of later sections, rather than from discussion 
of the way in which the statements that appear in this draft are 
worded.]

The Internet Society and its many supporters believe that the 
Internet is for everyone. The vision of the future embraced by the 
Internet Society and those who contribute to its efforts is clear and 
compelling:

The Internet continues to significantly improve the quality of life 
for people in all parts of the world because standards, technologies, 
business practices, and government policies sustain an open and 
accessible platform for innovation, creativity, and economic 
opportunity.

Complementing this vision of a future Internet is the Society's 
vision of its role in creating it:

As the hub of a global network of individuals and organisations, the 
Internet Society is the most reliable source of accurate and 
authoritative information about the Internet, and is respected by 
everyone as the strongest and most effective advocate for the core 
values of an open and accessible Internet.


Mission and Role

The mission of the Internet Society is to undertake activities and 
support institutions that promote the open development, evolution, 
and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the 
world.

[The sentence above is a deliberately broad assertion of the mission 
and purpose of ISOC (and it contains most of the words that are in 
the current mission statement). Its wording is intended to serve the 
clause "within this network of shared purpose" that appears below in 
the discussion of ISOC's role-it is a statement of purpose that ISOC 
shares with other Internet organizations. It contains two 
ideas-"openness" and "all people"-that define the "fabric of 
similarly-purposed organizations" to which the term "other Internet 
organizations" (above) refers. All of these organizations have, at 
some level, a common mission; each has a distinct and more specific 
individual role to play.]

[The list of groups in the following paragraph is intended to be 
illustrative rather than definitive. The idea is to embed ISOC within 
a fabric of organizations, each with its own role to play and 
pursuing its own mission, that collectively tile or span the 
"Internet governance" space. I believe that there is also an 
opportunity to make a "sum greater than its parts" observation here.]

The Internet Society cooperates and collaborates with other 
mission-oriented Internet organizations, including the Internet 
Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), 
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the 
World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the Network Startup Resource Center 
(NSRC), and the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs); and with 
national and international government and civil society groups that 
share its vision, including the International Telecommunications 
Union (ITU), the European Union (EU), and many others. Within this 
network of shared purpose, the specific role of the Internet Society 
is to promote the formulation and adoption of policies that make the 
Internet accessible to everyone; to safeguard the integrity and 
continuity of the context within which the Internet Standards process 
operates; to support and contribute to the continuing evolution of 
the Internet as an open, decentralized platform for innovation, 
creativity, and economic opportunity; and to bring authoritative, 
unbiased information about the Internet to individuals and 
organizations in every part of the world.


Core Values

The core values of the Internet Society are the fundamental 
principles that guide all of the Society's activities. These are the 
beliefs and commitments on which the Internet Society's mission is 
based.

[We believe that these core values are shared by the other Internet 
organizations with which we collaborate; at some level ISOC, ICANN, 
IETF, and others subscribe to a common set of guiding principles, 
which enables them to pursue individual missions in pursuit of a 
common high-level goal. We should include the ITU in this "alignment" 
exercise-many of these values are reflected in the ITU's constitution 
and in its 2004-2007 Strategic Plan.]

The quality of life for people in all parts of the world is enhanced 
by their ability to enjoy the benefits of an open and global Internet.

Well-informed individuals and public and private policy makers are 
the essential foundation of an open and global Internet society.

The genius of the Internet is that its decentralized architecture 
maximizes individual users' power to choose (or create) the hardware, 
software, and services that best meet their needs, and if the 
Internet is to continue to be a platform for innovation and 
creativity, its open, decentralized nature must be preserved.

Enduring and sustainable progress toward the Internet Society's 
vision is best achieved through activities at a local level that 
engage people in their home regions.

Technical standards and Internet operating procedures should be 
developed and asserted through open and transparent processes, with 
minimal barriers to participation or access to information.

The social, political, and economic benefits of the Internet are 
substantially diminished by excessively restrictive governmental or 
private controls on computer hardware or software, telecommunications 
infrastructure, or Internet content.

Responsible use of the Internet benefits everyone.


Goals and Objectives

The Internet Society pursues its mission through programs that are 
designed to achieve specific objectives. The goal of each program is 
clearly and directly related to the achievement of ISOC's mission, 
and the operating plan for each program is governed by the Society's 
core values.

Operationally, ISOC's goals and objectives are grouped into three 
pillars-policy, education, and standards-that represent the Society's 
practical interpretation of its mission. These goals and objectives 
link ISOC's mission (theory) to its specific programs and projects 
(practice).


Standards Pillar

The standards pillar represents the Internet Society's commitment to 
two of its core values: Technical standards and Internet operating 
structures should be developed and asserted through open and 
transparent processes, with minimal barriers to participation or 
access to information and Well-informed individuals and public and 
private policy makers are the essential foundation of an open and 
global Internet. It supports the Society's mission by upholding the 
model of Internet standards development that maximizes participation 
and delivers the greatest benefits to people throughout the world, 
and by making the fruits of that process freely available to everyone.

The Society's goals for programs that support the standards pillar are:

to ensure the integrity and continuity of the context within which 
the IETF pursues its open, inclusive, and transparent bottom-up model 
of Internet standards development; and

to make information about the standards process and its products 
freely available to everyone.


Education Pillar

The education pillar represents the Internet Society's commitment to 
two of its core values: Well-informed individuals and public and 
private policy makers are the essential foundation of an open and 
global Internet, and Enduring and sustainable progress toward the 
Internet Society's vision is best achieved through activities at a 
local level that engage people in their home regions. It supports the 
Society's mission by bringing essential Internet-related information 
and training to people throughout the world.

The Society's goals for programs that support the education pillar are:

to make information related to the Internet and its technologies 
widely available to individuals and to public and private 
organizations, including governments;

to provide assistance with Internet deployment and use to people in 
technologically developing countries and regions; and

to promote the development of self-sustaining communities able to 
effectively deploy and exploit local and regional education and 
training resources.


Policy Pillar

The policy pillar represents the Internet Society's commitment to all 
of its core values, particularly: The social, political, and economic 
benefits of Internet access are substantially diminished by 
excessively restrictive governmental or private controls on computer 
hardware or software, telecommunications infrastructure, or Internet 
content. It supports the Society's mission by upholding and defending 
these values in local, national, and international public policy 
arenas, where decisions that affect the ability of people throughout 
the world to enjoy the benefits of the Internet are made.

The Society's goals for programs that support the policy pillar are:

to adopt, assert, and defend policy positions consistent with the 
mission and core values of the Internet Society; and

to promote awareness of public policy issues and activities that 
affect the Internet.


Programs and Projects

Programs are designed to achieve specific goals and objectives of the 
Internet Society. Programs and projects are the tactical consequences 
of ISOC's strategic commitment to its mission.

[In the model outlined here, programs are the long-term vehicles for 
achieving ISOC's goals and objectives (which are the "end" part of 
"means to an end"); projects are the tangible operating instruments 
within programs; and chapters, staff, members, etc. are "mechanisms" 
(the "means" part of "means to an end").]

[This section is also where we should engage budget and other 
planning issues, which are not included in this draft. I would like 
to incorporate some of the work that Glenn and the Budget Committee 
did in preparing the "ISOC Budget Notes" (13 December 2004) into this 
section.]

[The template for these program descriptions is to state clearly, in 
the first paragraph, the purpose (and, if necessary, the context) of 
the program-how does it serve the Society's mission, and what 
contribution is it expected to make toward achieving the Society's 
goals and objectives? We should also describe expected real or 
"example" projects for each program (which, as projects will come and 
go over the lifetime of a program, would have to be an 
easily-updateable part of the SOP).]


Internet Standards Program

The purpose of the Internet Standards program is to provide a safe, 
stable, and enduring home for the Internet standards process of the 
IETF and for the IETF Administrative Support Activity. It supports 
the goal of the standards pillar to ensure the integrity and 
continuity of the context within which the IETF's Internet Standards 
process operates.


Internet Society Champions Program

The purpose of the Internet Society Champions program is to catalyze 
sustainable improvements in the availability of accurate and 
authoritative information about the Internet and its technology in 
all parts of the world. It supports the goal of the education pillar 
to make information related to the Internet and its technologies 
widely available to individuals and to public and private 
organizations (including governments); the goal of the policy pillar 
to promote awareness of public policy issues and activities that 
affect the Internet; and the goal of the education pillar to make 
information related to the Internet and its technologies widely 
available to individuals and to public and private organizations.

[Sustainable local uptake is essential; some "fly-in" may be 
necessary at the beginning to jump-start a project, but the idea is 
to seed and grow local resources and capabilities, not to parachute 
(western) Internet experts into "benighted" regions to carry out 
isolated "relief efforts."]

[Projects: India (with GIPI), South Africa (with TBD), Brazil (with TBD)]


Internet Access and Usability Program

The purpose of the Internet Access and Usability program is [TBD]. It 
supports the goals of the education pillar to [TBD].

[The Workshop Resource Center and the Regional Workshops-support for 
the NSRC and similar education and infrastructure-seeding outreach; 
locally situated workshops and tutorials in developing countries.]

[Projects: Internationalisation of the Internet; "regional" INETs 
(INET EMEA); workshops; small grants.]


Internet Governance and Public Policy Program

The purpose of the Internet Governance and Public Policy program is 
[TBD]. It supports the goals of the policy pillar to [TBD].

[WSIS, WGIG, and the Internet policy portal coupled to the ISOC web site.]


Marketing and Public Relations Program

The purpose of the Marketing and Public Relations program is to 
[TBD]. It supports the goals of all three pillars by strengthening 
ISOC's ability to speak and act authoritatively within the scope of 
its mission, and by ensuring that all of its activities have adequate 
sources of both financial and moral support.


Management and Operations

[The tools available to ISOC for implementing its programs and 
achieving its goals. The idea is that these are the means to the 
end-the ways in which ISOC, as an organization, actually gets things 
done, or, to put it another way, the resources that ISOC deploys as 
the active agents of its operation.]


Staff

[Dedicated people resources.]


Chapters

Chapters of the Internet Society are voluntary and approved 
aggregations of individual members (of any class of membership) who 
pursue a common, explicitly adopted purpose which is consistent with 
the Internet Society's stated mission and core values. Chapters of 
the Internet Society are thus expected to serve the interests of a 
segment of the global Internet community in a manner consistent with 
the goals and objectives of the Internet Society.

Through a presence local to its community of interest, a Chapter 
focuses on issues and developments important to its community. A 
Chapter recognizes, honors, and uses the culture, customs, and 
language of its community.

Chapters enable individual members to be more personally involved in 
the future of the Internet and how it will affect their individual 
interests. A chapter brings more focus to local and regional issues 
affecting the Internet. Importantly, a chapter offers the opportunity 
for local and regional issues to be included in global issues.

Chapters provide a way of networking more closely with other Internet 
oriented people in a local or regional area. Through partnerships 
with other local and regional organizations, chapters can create 
opportunities to participate in programs and events that are 
productive in furthering its purpose. Chapters and their members 
provide valuable contributions to Internet Society events, both 
global and regional.


Volunteers

[Non-dedicated-but by no means "undedicated"!- people resources.]


Funding

[Contributions from Organization Members]

[Contributions from Individual Members]

[General and targeted grants from public and private sources]

[Tangible in-kind contributions (other than volunteers)]


Leverage

[Collaboration with other groups to amplify the impact of ISOC's 
participation in an activity.]

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