Each year there are more consortia than there were the year before. That's a good thing, because it indicates that new areas of technology are becoming commercially viable and need standards to help them succeed. But it may also be a bad thing, unless new ways are found to better coordinate and rationalize the burgeoning standard setting infrastructure.

There's no "how to" manual for creating a consortium, leaving those charged with setting one up to largely copy another's structure. In this first of two articles, I review the key areas to be considered, and approaches to be taken, in forming a successful consortium to develop, promote and/or support standards.  

In 1998, the US Department of Commerce agreed to give up direct control of the root directories of the Internet. ICANN got them, and the ITU didn't - and we haven't heard the end of it yet.

What do sports and standard setting have in common? Much more than you would think.