On 5/2/2020 9:37 AM, John Levine wrote: > In article <E73BB349-1947-46AB-A810-207DD0AFF774@xxxxxxxxx> you write: >> I asked this once before, and was told that the key to IETF future funding was this sale. > If anyone told you that, they were wrong. > > Most of ISOC's current funding, including for the IETF, comes from the > surplus from PIR. Since we are not selling PIR, that will continue. Having a (somewhat) stable source of funding has pros and cons. I remember the time when the Internet Society depended solely on surplus from meetings and contributions from members, individuals and most organizations. These were lean times, especially when the occasional meeting failed to produce the expected surplus. At some point, the cash at hand was barely providing for a few weeks of operating costs. So, I understand the relief that a stable source of revenue provides. But at the same time, the stable source of revenues removes the dependency on contributions from members, and thus mightily diminishes the influence of these members on the operation and direction of the Internet Society. There is peril there too. -- Christian Huitema
