Draft:Elliot Noss

Elliot Noss

Elliot Noss provides fireside chat at Freedom to Connect 2015

Elliot Noss is a prominent figure in the field of internet infrastructure and governance, currently serving as the CEO of Tucows, one of the world's leading domain registrars. Elliot is also the founder of Ting Internet, a subsidiary of Tucows that collaborates with municipalities to develop and manage public fiber networks. Noss played a key role in the early days of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a global organization responsible for the management of the domain name system.

Early Life and Education

Noss was born in Toronto, Canada to immigrant parents in 1962. He attended University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, receiving a BA in Commerce before graduating from Western University’s Ivey Business School’s joint MBA LLB program. Noss articled at the Canadian law firm Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt before leaving the legal industry to start a remote back-up business in 1994.

In 1997, Noss joined Tucows Interactive Inc as Vice President of Corporate Services. During this time, Tucows was a provider of freeware and shareware; its name is an acronym for “The Ultimate Collection of Winsock Software.” At the time, Tucows’ library was one of the largest on the Internet. Noss became CEO in 2001, and led the firm's transition from a shareware provider to a wholesale domain registrar. In 2005, Noss led Tucows Initial Public Offering (IPO).

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Involvement

At ICANN’s 63rd meeting, Noss led the ICANN-accredited domain registrars in voicing strong opposition to claims brought by Facebook partner AppDetex that domain registrars have not been responding to WHOIS information requests following the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data.

MVNOs and the CRTC

In 2012, Tucows expanded into mobile services in the United States under the brand name Ting Mobile as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator. Noss was invited to testify during the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) review of wholesale mobile wireless services in 2014. Six years later, Noss was invited back to testify to the CRTC on the topic of MVNOs and their ability to improve choice and affordability for Canadians.

Personal Life

Noss, a father of two grown children, lives in Toronto with his partner and two dogs. Noss has been an avid gamer since his youth. In 2010, he was interviewed by Forbes about how his experiences in World of Warcraft have helped him to be a more effective executive.