International standardThe International Organization for Standardization, ISO, is a worldwide organization of nearly 100 national standards bodies, including the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the British Standards Institution (BSI). ISO was established in 1947 to facilitate international commerce and help develop cooperation and standardization in research and development. ISO covers all types of standardization with the exception of electrical and electronic engineering, which is handled by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ISO and IEC jointly work on standardization of information technology. The results of these activities are published as ISO standards.
Internet standards are developed outside ISO. The Internet Society (ISOC) and the Internet Architecture Board (IAB) deal with strategic issues, while the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) deal with technical development. The IETF develops the actual Internet standards. IETF assigns activities to working groups, which are open to anyone interested in the issue under discussion. Working groups meet approximately three times yearly, but conduct most business via e-mail. Decisions are made by consensus. IETF documents are freely and openly available via the Internet. Internet standards are published as part of the on-line Request for Comments (RFC) series.