Internet Service Providers Association

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA)[1] is a British body representing providers of Internet services.

History

ISPA was established in 1995 as the first trade association for ISPs, promoting competition, self-regulation and progress within the Internet industry. Members are signatories to the ISPA Code of "good practice" binding ISPs to a common industry standard. It was founded by and is now run under the Managing Director and Secretary General Nicholas Lansman.

Activities

As a trade association, membership is voluntary but the companies who choose to become members agree to abide by the ISPA United Kingdom Code. ISPA members' allegiance to the Code means that consumers can view the ISPA UK logo as a mark of commitment to good business practice.

ISPA's main activity is in making representations on behalf of the industry to Government bodies, such as the Home Office, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (former DTI) and Ofcom. Government and political representatives often approach ISPA for its knowledge and expertise.

ISPA represents members to Government and extra-parliamentary bodies in the UK, as well as dealing with media enquiries relating to ISPs' role online. Policy is directed by the ISPA Council, representing the interests of over 100 members in the UK. ISPA spends a good deal of its time dealing with Ofcom.

Regulation

Policies are agreed by the ISPA Council, a body of up to ten people selected from and representing the various interests of the membership. The Council is served by a secretariat.

ISPA Awards

Winners of the 2012 ISPA awards are listed below. [2][3]

  • Best SME Business Hosting is: Netcetera
  • Best Large Business Hosting is: Fidonet
  • Best Internet telephony sponsored by Magrathea is: Voipfone
  • Best Managed Service Innovation is: Fluidata
  • Best New ISP is: Hyperoptic
  • Best Business Customer Service sponsored by Geo is: KC Business
  • Best Consumer Customer Service sponsored by CISAS is: Catalyst 2
  • Digital Inclusion in association with Go ON UK winner is: Mersey Travel
  • Internet Safety & Security, sponsored by Return Path is: TalkTalk, with KC highly commended
  • The judges decided to commend KC for their security portfolio, annual health checks and walk-in library service.
  • Customer Choice Award winner is: MacAce
  • Best Consumer Fixed Broadband is: Plusnet
  • Best Business Fixed Broadband sponsored by O2 Wholesale is: Fluidata
  • Internet Hero: The ISPA Council chose Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN] for bringing high speed internet into remote rural communities, setting an example for others to follow.
  • Internet Villain: The ISPA Council felt that the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) were worthy winners for its internet governance land-grab which could lead to a less open and free internet, controlled by governments in a top-down manner

Europe

ISPA UK was instrumental in establishing EuroISPA, a European federation of Internet Services Providers' Associations. EuroISPA voices ISPs concerns to politicians and officials at European Union level and influences EU Internet policies. ISPA also organises "The Ispas", an annual award ceremony to showcase the "best" of the UK Internet industry.

Controversy

For the 2019 ISPA awards, the finalists for the Internet Villain award were announced, where Mozilla was nominated for their proposed support for DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH). The ISPA criticised this proposal as it could be used to circumvent internet filtering.[4][5][6] After receiving backlash,[7][8][9] the ISPA withdrew Mozilla's nomination as well as the category altogether, however still expressed concern over the DoH protocol.[10]

References
  1. "ISPA Website". ISPA. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  2. "The 2012 ISPA AwardsWinners". ISPA. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  3. "The Best Hosting Deals in 2016". hostingmanual.net. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  4. "ISPA announces finalists for 2019 Internet Heroes and Villains: Trump and Mozilla lead the way as Villain nominees". ISPA. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  5. Arif, Shabana (5 July 2019). "Mozilla Named an 'Internet Villain' for Protecting Your Privacy by UK ISP Association". Gizmodo UK. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  6. Dunn, John E. "ISPs call Mozilla 'Internet Villain' for promoting DNS privacy". Naked Security. Sophos. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  7. Whittaker, Zach (5 July 2019). "Internet group brands Mozilla 'internet villain' for supporting DNS privacy feature". TechCrunch. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  8. Claburn, Thomas (6 July 2019). "DoH! Secure DNS doesn't make us a villain, Mozilla tells UK broadband providers". The Register. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  9. Jackson, Mark (10 July 2019). "ISPA Pulls UK Internet Villain Category Over Mozilla DoH Fallout". ISPreview. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  10. "ISPA withdraws Mozilla Internet Villain Nomination and Category". ISPA. Retrieved 21 September 2019.

See also


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