[Chapter-delegates] [press] WORLD'S LEADING INTERNET STANDARDS BODY CELEBRATES 20THANNIVERSARY

[David McAuley]

Dear Chapter Delegates,

Below is a press release regarding the initial meeting of the Internet
Engineering Task Force, held twenty years ago today. 

Best wishes,
David

David McAuley
Membership Director
Internet Society
703-326-9880, ext 104
703-963-5887 (mobile)
mcauley at isoc.org




WORLD'S LEADING INTERNET STANDARDS BODY CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY

Reston, VA - 16th January 2006 - Today, the Internet Engineering Task
Force
(IETF) and the Internet Society (ISOC) celebrate the 20th anniversary of
the IETF, the world's leading Internet standards development body.

The IETF is a large open international community of network designers,
operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the
Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. Its
principal task today is the development and publication of technical
specifications and standards for basic Internet protocols. It is open to
any interested individual.

The first IETF meeting was held on the afternoon of January 16, 1986, in
San Diego, California. As a community-driven activity the IETF went on
to pioneer a unique, open process for standards development. Open to
all, and based on principles such as "rough consensus and running code",
the IETF has enabled the development of standards that have supported
every aspect of the Internet's phenomenal growth. 

"The IETF is unique," said Brian Carpenter, IETF Chair. "Unlike other
standards bodies, there is very little in the way of formal hierarchy
and there are no membership requirements or fees. The IETF welcomes
broad participation by anyone interested in the future technical
evolution and stability of the Internet - and IETF standards are
available to all, without charge."
 
"There is global recognition of the achievements of the IETF in its
support of the development of Internet technology. As the demands on the
Internet increase, the IETF clearly has a vital role to play in ensuring
that Internet technologies continue to evolve in a coherent and
coordinated manner," said Leslie Daigle, chair of the Internet
Architecture Board which provides architectural oversight of IETF
activities. 

"The success of the IETF has largely been due to a pragmatic,
consensus-based approach to technology standards development," noted
Lynn St.Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC). "Many
of the principles of cooperation and collaboration that were developed
in the IETF are now being successfully applied in other global forums.
ISOC is proud to be associated with the IETF - we value its members'
accomplishments over the last 20 years and look forward to celebrating
these achievements over the course of 2006."

ISOC has declared 2006 "The Year of the IETF" and will be running
several activities during the year in celebration of the IETF's 20th
anniversary.


ABOUT THE IETF

The IETF (http://www.ietf.org) is a large open international community
of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with
the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of
the Internet. It is open to any interested individual.

ABOUT ISOC 

The Internet Society (http://www.isoc.org) is a not-for-profit
membership organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in
Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in
Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the
open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of
people throughout the world. ISOC is the organizational home of the
Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other Internet-related bodies
who together play a critical role in ensuring that the Internet develops
in a stable and open manner. For over 13 years ISOC has run
international network training programs for developing countries and
these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections
and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet
during this time.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS

Peter Godwin
Communications Manager, Internet Society
E-mail: godwin at isoc.org 
4, rue des Falaises
1205 Geneva
Switzerland



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