Media Advisory - Spokesperson Available: Net neutrality, privacy and data sovereignty

OTTAWA, Dec. 7, 2017 /CNW/ - In advance of the net neutrality vote, taking place in the U.S. on December 14th, CIRA would like to alert the Canadian media of the availability of its president and CEO Byron Holland for interviews. Byron regularly engages with members of the Canadian and global internet communities and is leading the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), a member-based, not-for-profit organization, in its goal to build a better online Canada. Byron recently published a blog post on net neutrality and was a leading voice in Canada related to the IANA transition.

Quotes: Byron Holland, CEO of CIRA
"Should the vote to end net neutrality in the U.S. pass, it's an indication that the FCC is prioritizing the financial bottom line of global telecommunications at the expense of internet users, new technologies and start-ups."

"What innovations will we never experience because they no longer have equal access to the plumbing and pipes of the internet? The only winner in this walled garden model of the internet are big telecos."

"The major advantage of net neutrality isn't that it prevents large corporations from optimizing their data or performance, it's that it prevents ISPs from blocking, slowing down, or otherwise impeding their competitors."

"Private investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship are the engines that drive the internet forward. No one should overlook the valuable contributions ISPs make to keep the pipes of the internet running. The important thing is that we ensure those pipes are always open to anyone and that the free flow of information and ideas continues without any impediments."

Biography
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for internet governance, Byron's leadership has brought CIRA to the forefront of innovation. At CIRA, Byron has led a wholesale rewrite of the .CA registry and related policies and business rules. Under Byron's leadership, CIRA has expanded its product and service offerings to Canadians and .CA has become one of the fastest growing country code top-level domains (ccTLD) in the world.

Byron has developed a strong international profile for CIRA and the .CA top-level domain. He is vice-chair of the Country Codes Name Supporting Organization (ccNSO), the body that represents the interests of all country code top-level domains and leads policy development initiatives at ICANN, and is Chair of ICANN's Customer Standing Committee (CSC). Byron is also an active participant in the United Nations coordinated Internet Governance Forum.

Byron received a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Business Administration from Queen's University. He also holds his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

About CIRA
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. A Member-based organization, CIRA also develops and implements policies that support Canada's internet community, and represents the .CA registry internationally.

SOURCE Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)