On February 27th, I will be joining fellow Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2C) board members for a day to meet with various Congress and media outlets on Capitol Hill about our efforts to preserve our Internet freedoms. This gives cPanel the chance to join in the effort to protect the legislation that will one day affect you, hosting companies, and even cPanel.
Co-Founder and Board Chair of the i2C, Christian Dawson, states “Our industry generated an estimated direct and indirect $46 billion in annual revenue in 2010 with expected 20% growth by 2013, and a trade flow to the United States of $9.2 billion.” cPanel quickly recognized the value of the i2C and the opportunity to lend support to the hosting industry. I am extremely excited to represent cPanel as an i2coalition board member in Washington DC. The board knows that we can contribute to the education of important issues that impact hosting & Internet providers, while teaching our government officials about the inner workings of web hosting and how the Internet works.
The first Internet Advocacy Day will take place with the goal of the i2Coalition educating legislators and members of the press, while creating open dialogue to ensure legislation and regulatory strategies that encourage innovation and promote growth in the web industry. Along with hosting industry representatives, invited to make remarks are Senators Jerry Moran and Ron Wyden, both of whom have been supportive of the group’s work, and allies in opposing SOPA and PIPA. Specific topics of policy importance that will be addressed with members of Congress include the ECPA reform and privacy, copyright, cybersecurity, global Internet governance, and patent reform.
This opportunity is a first of its kind, and the board sees the importance of making their voices heard. In a press release following President Obama’s inclusion of Internet issues in his State of the Union Address, Christian Dawson says, “We look forward to educating lawmakers with the facts to help make informed decisions on how to best foster American innovation and the Internet infrastructure industry.”
At the event, various teaching stations will be set up to educate attendees on key topics of importance in our industry, such as; internet jobs, The Multi-Stakeholder Model, The Borderless Internet, Cybersecurity with DDoS and Hacking, What is Cloud, Networking with IP Transit and Routing, DNS, how email and data centers work, what a web hosting provider does, Fiber and “the Pipes” of the Internet, how providers fight network abuse, The Internet is Everywhere, and a booth to address questions like “what is the difference between the Internet and the World Wide Web?”.
cPanel is thrilled to be joining these other companies; AiNET, Arvixe, Cheval Capital, EIG, Firehost, Gandi.net, Green Olive Tree, Handy Networks, Hedgehog Hosting, iNET Interactive, Jumpline, LeaseWeb USA, Media Temple, Rackspace, ServInt, Studio 1337, and Wired Tree, in this important endeavor.
More information about the i2Coalition can be found here: http://www.i2coalition.com/.
