Top 10 List: i2Coalition Celebrates One-Year Anniversary

This week marks the one-year anniversary since the i2Coalition launched and I couldn’t be more proud of our members and what we’ve accomplished over the past 12 months. When we established the i2Coalition in September 2012, we had several main goals, including educating the policymakers, opinion leaders and the public about the Internet Infrastructure industry and establishing ourselves as the principal voice and leading advocate for our industry.

I’m excited to announce that with the help of our board and members, we’ve experienced great success in accomplishing our goals and are continuing to fight for Internet freedom. While we’ve attained numerous achievements over the past year, I’ve highlighted our favorites below in our “top 10 hits” list.

Top 10 Hits (in no particular order)

1. Internet Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill – On February 27, 2013, we hosted Advocacy Day to educate members of Congress about how the Internet works. We also awarded our Champion of the Internet Innovation Awards and held demonstrations looking at aspects of how the Internet functions.

2. Going Global – The Internet is part of a worldwide economy and our priorities include establishing a global connection. The multistakeholder process is critical in any discussions about Internet governance. The i2Coalition has represented that position at several conferences, including ICANN meetings in Durban, Toronto, and Beijing and WCIT in Dubai.

3. Internet Freedom – Over the past year, we’ve fought for Internet freedom and trumpeted why it’s crucial. We’ve worked with many friends in celebrating Internet freedom and how others can help make a difference.

4. Our Members – The i2Coalition is a member-driven, grassroots organization and our success largely depends on those willing to put forth the effort. Our members do tremendous work for the i2Coalition and represent essential demographics throughout the Internet infrastructure industry. A big thank you to all of our members – you are key to our success!

5. Making a Difference – Educating Congress about how the Internet works is no small feat given all that there is to teach and learn, but we are making a difference! Want proof? Look no further than the debate surrounding SOPA and PIPA versus ECPA earlier this year. Education is paramount.

6. Our Coalition Partners – We’ve joined with many industry allies over the past year to achieve common goals. There are too many to list here individually, but please check out our updates for the latest news on what projects we’re teaming up on.

7. Legislative Initiatives – Patent reform, transparency, CISPA, ECPA, and security are just a handful of our public policy priorities. We’ve vocally advocated our legislative priorities to Congress over the past year and are continuing the long fight ahead to securing Internet freedom.

8. Member Working Groups – Earlier this year, the i2Coalition established four Member Working Groups: Public Policy, Best Practices, Internet Education, and Membership Development. The efforts of these groups help us in both long-term and short-term planning and are critical to keeping us on track for future success.

9. Industry Events and Panels – We’ve participated in many events over the past year, including cPanel, SXSW, and HostingCon to name just a few. Recently, we moderated a series of “Issues and Trends” panels at HostingCon covering patent trolls, the borderless Internet, the future of customer privacy, and NSA surveillance practices.

10. Leading Voice – In relatively a short time, the i2Coalition has quickly gained influence with policymakers over the past year and established itself as the leading unified voice for the Internet infrastructure industry. We’re grateful for all of the support from our member and allies and look forward to continuing to build on the groundwork we’ve built over the past year.

Want to join us in our efforts and be part of the success in our second year? Visit our website and fill out an application today. We’d love to have you aboard!

In addition, if you have memories about the i2Coalition you’d like to share, maybe an event you attended, a blog post you liked, or member you talked to about us, please contact us today. We’d be delighted to hear from you, too!