Florencio Utreras Díaz “LACNIC has fostered innovation”

31/07/2017

Winner of the LACNIC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011, Florencio Utreras Díaz holds a graduate degree in Mathematics and Engineering and a PhD in Engineering and is one of the most outstanding Latin American and Caribbean Internet academics.

For the past thirteen years, he has been the Executive Director of CLARA (Latin American Cooperation of Advanced Networks). Devoted to the establishment of computer networks to serve the development of academic knowledge and research, Utreras has extensive knowledge of the regional Internet community, as he has been involved with Internet and academic network development in America for more than twenty-five years.

In this interview, Utreras highlights how LACNIC has driven innovation in the region through its FRIDA program, a fund that supports digital initiatives designed to address the socio-economic challenges faced by the most vulnerable countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

When and how did your relationship with LACNIC begin?

I participated in the creation of LACNIC in 1999. In representation of ENRED and as Executive Director of REUNA, I hosted the meeting during which LACNIC was created, which took place in August 1999 within the framework of the ICANN meeting held in Santiago, Chile.

What roles have you played within the LACNIC community?

After its creation in 1999, my participation was limited to that of a user. Since the creation of CLARA, I’ve participated as a strategic partner.

What role do you think the LACNIC community has played in the management of number resources over the past 15 years?

LACNIC has not only efficiently managed IP addresses but has also been a major Internet driver in the region, both technically and by sponsoring other regional organizations working towards Internet development, such as LACTLD and CLARA, in addition to creating Casa de Internet for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is currently home to these two organizations as well as to ISOC at
regional level.

Thanks to its courses and dissemination activities, LACNIC has contributed to regional Internet development while fostering innovation through the FRIDA program and other notable initiatives.

What are the LACNIC community’s identifying features?

In my opinion, its generosity and commitment to regional Internet development.

How do you envision Internet governance 15 years from now?

I believe that Internet Governance has responded to the challenges posed by the growth of the Internet and is appropriate for the tasks that have been self-imposed in favor of regional development.