Comms Alliance takes over Internet Industry Association
The Australian lobby group made up of internet service providers and vendors, the Internet Industry Association, will cease to operate after announcing it will transfer its operations to the Communications Alliance.
The board of the IIA, which includes executives from Optus, iiNet, Baker & McKenzie, Sophos, and AAPT agreed to transfer its operations over to the Communications Alliance and cease operating after ownership and responsibility for the iCode, and other industry-regulated codes are transferred over to the Alliance.
The Communications Alliance will create a new working group within the organisation to look at online security, online safety, and other internet-related issues as part of the transition.
IIA members will receive Communications Alliance membership at no charge, CEO John Stanton said today.
"The IIA has been a strong advocate for the ISP and online security sector and put in place important platforms to help ensure that ISPs are well prepared to deal with cyber threats and that families can be confident about protecting their children from undesirable content," he said in a statement.
"Communications Alliance welcomes all former IIA members who transition to our 'family' and looks forward to working with them to strongly represent their interests and to build on the achievements to date."
The IIA has struggled to find its place in the sector for the several years. After the departure of its veteran CEO Peter Coroneos in 2011, the IIA's new pick quickly left before he had even started. 2011 also saw Google, Telstra, and Microsoft reported to have decided against renewing their memberships with the organisation.
The IIA's role has been largely superseded by niche groups such as the Communications Alliance, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, the Australian Information Industry Association, and most recently, the Australian Interactive Media Industry Alliance (AIMIA) representing the likes of Google, Twitter, and Facebook.