RIPE NCC Supports Sustainability of the IETF

The RIPE NCC Executive Board has committed to financially support the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the organisation responsible for developing Internet technical standards, in order to ensure its long-term sustainability. The announcement was made during the IETF 96 meeting in Berlin on 20 July.

The RIPE NCC joins three other organisations, including AFRINIC, ARIN and the Internet Society, in providing a total of more than $3m to support the standards development initiatives of the IETF and provide long-term stability and increased diversity for funding IETF activities and operations.

"The IETF and the Regional Internet Registries share a long and productive history of working together to ensure the stability of the Internet's infrastructure," said Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC. "So the RIPE NCC is proud to be able to contribute to the sustainability of the IETF for the foreseeable future."

The RIPE NCC Executive Board has proposed an annual contribution of €100k over the next ten years (2017-2026). The proposal to fund the IETF was discussed during the RIPE NCC Services Working Group at RIPE 72, and at the RIPE NCC General Meeting, and received positive feedback from the RIPE community.

The IETF produces technical documents that influence the way people design, use, and manage the Internet. IETF standards are the foundation for the protocols for email, domain names, the Web, and the Internet itself. IETF participants are currently developing standards to provide the technical foundations for a global Internet of Things, improved security and privacy online, and enhanced real-time voice and video communications.