Lyman Chapin

Name: Lyman Chapin
Country of citizenship: USA
Place of residence: Hopkinton, MA USA
Email address: lyman@bbn.com
Employer(s): BBN Technologies, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Please visit http://cove.bbn.com/chapin for more information.

Statement of Qualifications and Experience

I have the technical background necessary to evaluate the potential impact of ICANN's actions on the operation of the Internet, and the leadership experience necessary to serve (and survive) as an effective representative of the at-large membership in the political furnace of ICANN. For the past 15 years I have been directly involved in creating and applying the protocols, procedures, and naming systems of the Internet. As a member, and then chairman, of the Internet Architecture Board from 1989 to 1993, I was an active participant in and leader of the efforts to solve the problem of IP address space exhaustion that led to CIDR, NATs, and proposals for a next-generation IP. I am the co-author of the book "Open Systems Networking: TCP/IP and OSI," which explores the architecture and application of domain names and network addresses in great detail. During more than 20 years of working with and leading national and international professional and standards-making organizations, I have developed a good understanding of how to reconcile competing technical and policy positions without simply settling for an ineffective neutered compromise.

ICANN Related Interests

BBN Technologies is owned by Verizon, the huge telecommunications company created by the merger of GTE and Bell Atlantic, which sells, among other things, consumer and business Internet services. BBN's principal business is externally-funded research and development in networking, acoustics and sensor systems, speech and language processing, and information security. BBN's Internet Service Provider (ISP) business was recently spun off as a separate company called Genuity. More information about BBN is available at http://www.bbn.com.

I also serve on the Board of Directors of CommerceNet (http://www.commerce.net), an industry association for research and collaboration in electronic commerce and electronic payment systems.

I have no personal ownership or investment interests in any ICANN-related businesses.

I do not currently hold any official position in any ICANN-related business or organization. In the past I have served as a trustee of the Internet Society, the chairman of the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), a member of the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG), and a member of the USA Registration Authority for the assignment of organization identifiers.

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Personal Statement

ICANN's mandate is specific and limited; it is not a "cyber-government for the Internet." I believe that the interests of the at-large membership lie mainly in the technical and administrative functions of ICANN, which support the global operation and expansion of the Internet. ICANN's policy coordination role is important, but since ICANN has no authority to usurp the legal and legislative powers of governments, it cannot settle the most controversial Internet policy issues on its own. It *can* promote the interests of its stakeholders by encouraging the national and international organizations with legal standing to resolve Internet policy issues in ways that are favorable to those interests.

Governmental Affiliation or Employment

I am not an official of a national government or a multinational entity established by treaty or other agreement between national governments. I serve as the USA representative to the NATO Science Committee's Networking advisory panel.