ICANN Backs Caribbean Technology Development

PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten—A global Internet giant is partnering with a Caribbean-based group to advance regional technology development.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is joining forces with the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) to build the capacity of the region’s technical community.

ICANN coordinates the Internet’s system of unique addresses. The global nonprofit organization is dedicated to ensuring an open, stable and secure Internet.

“When we started working to develop capacity in the region, we soon realised that CaribNOG had the same goals, and so we quickly decided that by working together, we could accomplish more,” said Albert Daniels, Senior Manager of Stakeholder Engagement for the Caribbean at ICANN.

Daniels was speaking at the joint opening of ICANN’s LAC-I-Roadshow and CaribNOG’s twelfth regional meeting, held at Sonesta Great Bay Resort, Philipsburg from October 24 to 26.

“Without partnership, the mission of CaribNOG cannot be fulfilled. Partnership is a core principle by which the organisation operates,” said Bevil Wooding, co-founder of CaribNOG.

The spirit of collaboration goes far beyond ICANN and CaribNOG. It includes several other major players in the global Internet landscape, such as the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) and the American Registry of Internet Numbers (ARIN). LACNIC and ARIN are the two regional Internet registries that share responsibility for the Caribbean sub-region.

“We are pleased to be working together with Carlos Martinez, Chief Technology Officer of LACNIC, and Mark Kosters, Chief Technology Officer of ARIN, to deliver training on critical issues such as domain name system security,” Daniels said.

The U.S. government helped create ICANN in 1998 with the goal of building a stable, multi-stakeholder organisation that could take over the management of the Internet’s naming and number system. To accomplish this goal, the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration partnered with ICANN to transition important coordination functions, known as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, to the private sector. On October 1, the IANA stewardship function was formally transitioned to the global multi-stakeholder community.

At LAC-I-Roadshow, Daniels presented on technical issues like cyber security, and policy issues such as the IANA stewardship transition. The slate of international experts conducted hands-on sessions covering a broad range of topics, including Internet exchange points.

The LAC-I-Roadshow and CaribNOG 12 are part of Internet Week Sint Maarten, a five-day conference focused on developing the Caribbean Internet.

The three-day gathering was supported by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union; the American Registry for Internet Numbers; Packet Clearing House; ArkiTechs and The BrightPath Foundation.

Internet Week Sint Maarten ends with Sint Maarten on the Move, a two-day event jointly hosted by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses registry (LACNIC).

The weeklong conference is coordinated by the St Maarten telecommunications regulator, BTP. It is open to the public and free of charge, with a live video stream for remote participants.

Caribbean Needs Stronger, Deeper Regional Technical Community

PHILIPSBURG, St Maarten—Even with its minor geographical footprint, the Caribbean has a major appetite for the Internet. More and more, Caribbean citizens are reflexively heading online to do their everyday essentials. In order to keep pace with that digital predilection, the modest community managing the region’s networks has to keep building serious capacity.

“There has to be a deeper pool of human resources in the Caribbean with technical expertise,” says Bevil Wooding, co-founder of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG).

“More people with less technical knowledge are using Internet-based technology, trusting that it will be safe. And so, a group of people have to ensure that that trust is well founded.”

Wooding was speaking at the opening of CaribNOG’s twelfth regional meeting, held at Sonesta Great Bay Resort, Philipsburg from October 24 to 26.

“We have to secure the region’s networks and look out for threats in different ways now that we are at this stage of the Internet’s development. And that’s why a group like CaribNOG is so important at this time. We become the guardians of the Caribbean’s Internet development.”

CaribNOG 12 is part of Internet Week Sint Maarten, a five-day conference focused on developing the Caribbean Internet. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) jointly held the first three days of the week with CaribNOG.

“When we started working to develop capacity in the region, we soon realised that CaribNOG had the same goals, and so we quickly decided that by working together, we could accomplish more,” said Albert Daniels, Senior Manager of Stakeholder Engagement for the Caribbean at ICANN.

Daniels was one of several regional experts to conduct hands-on sessions on topics including cyber security, Internet governance, IPv6 adoption and Internet exchange points.

The three-day gathering is supported by the Caribbean Telecommunications Union; the American Registry for Internet Numbers; Packet Clearing House; ArkiTechs and The BrightPath Foundation.

Internet Week Sint Maarten will close with Sint Maarten on the Move, a two-day event jointly hosted by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses registry (LACNIC).

The weeklong conference is coordinated by the St Maarten telecommunications regulator, BTP. It is open to the public and free of charge, with a live video stream for remote participants.

LACNIC On The Move Rolls Into DR, As Santo Domingo Hosts Internet Week

Tech experts from Latin America and the Caribbean will gather in Santo Domingo this month for one of the most highly anticipated meetings of the region’s Internet community. LACNIC On The Move, a meeting organised by the Internet Registry for Latin America and the Caribbean (LACNIC), will open a weeklong conference expected to bring together representatives from several international bodies working to grow the global Internet.

“The Internet is for everyone,” said Oscar Robles, CEO of LACNIC, the organisation responsible for assigning Internet number resources in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“When LACNIC was created, average Internet penetration in Latin America was about 10 to 15 per cent. Today, this figure has grown to 55.9 per cent. Our goal is to connect the 44 per cent of Latin Americans who still aren’t connected to the Internet.”

LACNIC On The Move is free of charge and open to the public. It runs from August 22 to 23 at Barceló Hotel.

“A big attraction of events like these is the prospect of networking with like-minded technology professionals from across the region. These meetings bring together several key players in the global ecosystem of Internet governance,” said Kevon Swift, Head of Strategic Relations and Telecommunications at LACNIC.

A parallel event, AMPARO, will run from August 22 to 24. AMPARO is a closed workshop aimed at technical staff of government institutions in the Dominican Republic and members of LACNIC. It is part of an ongoing initiative by LACNIC to strengthen the security capacity of the regional Internet community.

“We promote the construction of an open, stable, and secure Internet at the service of the economic, social, and cultural development of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Swift said.

Both events are being held as part of the weeklong celebration of the 25th anniversary of the .do domain, organised by the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra, through the .do domain registration office (NIC.DO).

Called Internet Week, the event is jointly organised by the Telecommunications Authority of the Dominican Republic (INDOTEL), the Organization of ccTLDs of Latin America and the Caribbean (LACTLD), Dominican Republic Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC RD), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

LACNIC has provided training to some 15,000 technology professionals throughout the region, through in-person forums, online centres and collaborative initiatives with other organisations, such as LACTLD, ISOC and ICANN.

“The collaboration between LACNIC and other important actors in the global Internet community plays a key role in enhancing the technical and security capacity of the region,” said César Diaz, Head of Strategic Relations and Telecommunications at LACNIC.

A Technical Forum organised by LACTLD will bring together domain name organisations in the region for two days of cooperation and exchange of information and experiences on August 22 to 23 .

Also on August 23, a public Internet Governance Forum organised by ISOC RD is intended to sensitise all Internet users to their right to participate in the formation of public policies that promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world.

On August 24 to 25, ICANN will host an open forum on the global Domain Name System, focusing on the Latin America and Caribbean market.