Capital Ideas

6:10 PM -- Nothing telegraphs gravitas quite like the decision to debate upper- and lowercase.

So fresh off its semantic coup that will shake bureaucrats worldwide (and copy editors) from their torpor, it's clear that the ITU is struggling for relevance. The Geneva-based world body and its new secretary-general are really reaching to find something of substance to add to a networked world dominated by the Internet protocol.

Thankfully, storage networks are far enough afield from the ITU's legacy and "core competencies" that I doubt we need worry about them fiddling with next-gen Fibre Channel standards or searchable content metadata specs.

Some have viewed this semantic issue as yet another example of the ITU's desire to control the Internet. If so, it's one of the more flaccid power grabs ever attempted.

If the ITU needs a mission or new charter, why doesn't it knuckle down and make infrastructure in developing countries its raison d'etre? Yes, I know they've been banging that drum for 20 years -- maybe this time they could reorganize and devote half their staff and a lot more of their budget to the cause.Since its members have so much voice expertise, why not get to work on some VOIP standards that embrace the I(i)nternet, the PSTN, and wireless mesh networks? This one's staring them in the face, but perhaps the perception that it's Cisco versus the world on VOIP specs keeps them so passive.

With any luck, the new chief Hamadoun Toure will demonstrate some real thought leadership that takes the organization forward in some meaningful way. All that's missing right now are some capital ideas.

Terry Sweeney, Editor in Chief, Byte and Switch