BITAG Meets to Discuss Membership

Earlier this summer, the creation of a new Internet engineering forum called the Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group (BITAG) was announced. For more, click here.

Dale Hatfield, a professor at the University of Colorado and a former Chief Technologist of the FCC, is leading BITAG, and he’s joined by companies such as Comcast, Google, Dish Network, Intel, and Level 3 Communications to create a group that would advise on technical issues, attempt to resolve disputes through engineering insights, outside of an adversarial context, and help inform federal agencies’ industry oversight.

According to a posting yesterday on Comcast’s corporate blog, by David Don, senior director of public policy at Comcast:

"Last week, at a seminal meeting in Boulder, Colorado, the BITAG took a giant step forward by finalizing practices that will ensure an open membership that can deliver engineering-driven analysis and consensus on the most pressing Internet questions of the day. BITAG membership will include representatives from ISPs, ASPs, equipment manufacturers, content providers, and the Internet community at-large – including policy advocacy groups and academic experts – so long as they come equipped with engineering expertise and a commitment to problem-solving."