Packet Clearing House (PCH) is an international organization responsible for providing operational support and security to critical Internet infrastructure, including Internet exchange points and the core of the Domain Name System. The organization also works in the areas of cybersecurity coordination, regulatory policy and Internet governance.

Overview

Packet Clearing House (PCH) was formed in 1994 by Chris Alan and Mark Kent to provide efficient regional and local network interconnection alternatives for the West Coast of the United States. It has grown to become a leading proponent of neutral independent network interconnection and provider of route-servers at major exchange points worldwide. PCH provides equipment, training, data, and operational support to organizations and individual researchers seeking to improve the quality, robustness, and Internet accessibility. Major PCH projects include: Notable past projects include the INOC-DBA critical infrastructure protection hotline communications system, now operated by the Brazilian CERT. PCH has more than 500 institutional donors, including the Soros Open Society Institute, which funded PCH in developing open source tools which help Internet service providers (ISPs) optimize their traffic routing, reduce costs and increase performance of Internet service delivered to the public; the United Nations Development Programme; Cisco Systems; NTT/Verio; Level 3; Equinix; the governments of Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, France, Singapore, Chile, Switzerland, and the United States; and hundreds of Internet service providers and individuals. PCH works closely with the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) to offer courses on telecommunications regulation, Internet infrastructure construction and management, Domain Name System management, and Internet security coordination, three times a year in Washington, D.C. It also teaches in 80 to 100 on-location workshops a year throughout the world.

Locations

PCH maintains staffed offices in Paris, Berkeley, Amsterdam, Kathmandu, Budapest, Johannesburg, Abu Dhabi, Portland and Ottawa and operates critical network infrastructure within 303 Internet exchange points.

Board of directors

PCH's board of directors consists of Steve Feldman (chairman), Bill Woodcock (executive director), Sylvie LaPerriere, Gregory Akers, and Mark Tinka.