We’re seeing unprecedented interest in the debate around whose responsibility it is to upgrade the Internet to handle current and impending demand. The carriers have expressed their positions (Verizon, Comcast, AT&T), as have intermediate content providers (e.g., Cogent, Level3), and large content providers such as Netflix. And while Netflix defends its version of transparency, there is clearly room for improvement (Each side emphasizing the need for more transparency from the other side).

A few more timely and related developments this week:

1. The FCC finally begins to pursue more transparency.
2. Independent industry group BITAG is undertaking its own effort to improve transparency about how Internet interconnection works.
3. This past week the MIT CSAIL Information Policy Project and the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee hosted a briefing introducing our (CAIDA/MIT) research developing methods to detect interdomain congestion at specific location (presented two weeks ago to BITAG). (Audio available here (almost 2 hours).) Plenty of press reports followed.

Stay tuned, much more to say here.

I had the honor of being invited to the most recent BITAG (Broadband Internet Technical Advisory Group) meeting, to present some recent research (a collaboration with MIT’s CSAIL group) on identifying and analyzing instances of Internet interdomain congestion (an earlier version of which Matthew presented at a NANOG lightning talk in February).

Per their web site, BITAG’s mission is to “bring together engineers and other similar technical experts to develop consensus on broadband network management practices or other related technical issues that can affect users’ Internet experience“. (Their web site also hosts summaries of Silicon Flatirons workshop discussions that inspired the establishment of BITAG.)

It was gratifying to present to such an interested audience, who provided plenty of constructive feedback as well an invitation to join the technical working group (TWG). I look forward to future interactions with BITAG; they seem a potentially potent means of bringing much-needed transparency to increasingly compelling aspects of the Internet ecosystem.

On 28-29 May 2014, DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) held a meeting of the Principal Investigators of the PREDICT (Protected Repository for the Defense of Infrastructure Against Cyber Threats) Project, an initiative to facilitate the accessibility of computer and network operational data for use in cybersecurity defensive R&D. The project is a three-way partnership among government, critical information infrastructure providers, and security development communities (both academic and commercial), all of whom seek technical solutions to protect the public and private information infrastructure. The primary goal of PREDICT is to bridge the gap between producers of security-relevant network operations data and technology developers and evaluators who can leverage this data to accelerate the design, production, and evaluation of next-generation cybersecurity solutions.

In addition to presenting project updates, each PI presented on a special topic suggested by Program Manager Doug Maughan. I presented some reflective thoughts on 10 Years Later: What Would I Have done Differently? (Or what would I do today?). In this presentation, I revisited my 2008 top ten list of things lawyers should know about the Internet to frame some proposed forward-looking strategies for the PREDICT project in 2014.

Also noted at the meeting, DHS recently released a new broad agency announcement (BAA) that will contractually require investigators contribute into PREDICT any data created or used in testing and evaluation of the funded work (if the investigator has redistribution rights, and subject to appropriate disclosure control).

On 19-20 May 2014, the NSF Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Core Programs hosted a kickoff meeting in Washington D.C. for the next phase of the Future Internet Architectures Program. The program funds three projects for an additional two years each to create and demonstrate prototype implementations of their architecture protocol suites and test and evaluate them in one or more relevant application environments. The meeting allowed the projects to present overviews of their architectures and the environments in which they plan to test them, as well as their thoughts on how their architecture may shift the balance of power among players in the Internet ecosystem, and other ideas on how to evaluate their architecture’s benefits and incentives to deploy. CAIDA participates in the Named-Data Networking Project (NDN), one of the three projects that receive funding from the FIA NP Program. The NDN team’s presentations at this meeting are posted at http://named-data.net/publications/presentations/.

[Executive Summary from our annual report for 2013:]

This annual report covers CAIDA’s activities in 2013, summarizing highlights from our research, infrastructure, data-sharing and outreach activities. Our research projects span Internet topology, routing, traffic, security and stability, future Internet architecture, economics and policy. Our infrastructure activities support measurement-based Internet studies, both at CAIDA and around the world, with focus on the health and integrity of the global Internet ecosystem.
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