1. Preface
These are operating procedures that outline the orderly transaction of business of a corporate standards development sponsor. These procedures may be amended by the Working Group to fit their needs only with the approval of their Sponsor. Several documents take precedence over these procedures in the following order:
New York State Not-for-Profit Law
IEEE Certificate of Incorporation
IEEE Constitution
IEEE Bylaws
IEEE Policies
IEEE Board of Directors Resolutions
IEEE Standards Association Operations Manual
IEEE-SA Board of Governors Resolutions
IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws
IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual
IEEE ComSoc Constitution
IEEE ComSoc Bylaws
IEEE ComSoc Policies and Procedures
IEEE ComSoc Board of Governors Resolutions
IEEE ComSoc Standards Board Policies and Operating Procedures
Robert's Rules of Order (Revised)
2. Openness
For the development of standards, openness and due process must apply, which means that any entity with a direct and material interest has a right to participate by:
1) Expressing a position and its basis,
2) Having that position considered, and
3) Appealing if adversely affected.
Due process allows for equity and fair play. In addition to openness, due process requires balance, i.e., the standards development process should have a balance of interests and shall not be dominated by any single interest category.
3. Organization of the ComSoc Standards Board
The activities of a corporate Standards Sponsor shall be under the jurisdiction of the IEEE-SA Standards Board and subject to its rules of standards development, as outlined in clause 5.3 of the IEEE-SA Operations Manual.
The ComSoc Standards Board principal task is to encourage, nurture, and guide ComSoc standards initiatives and the resulting Working Groups in the areas of interest to ComSoc. ComSoc is interested in the advancement of the science, engineering, technology, and applications supporting the transfer and organization of information, of diverse media types and formats, through communication networks and channels . The scope of the IEEE ComSoc includes publications, conferences, educational programs, local activities, and technical committees that:
1. Foster original work in all aspects of communications science, engineering, and technology.
2. Encourage the development of applications that use signals to transfer voice, data, image, and/or video information between locations.
3. Promote the theory and use of systems involving all types of terminals, computers, and information processors; all pertinent systems and operations that facilitate transfer; all transmission media; switched and unswitched networks; and network layouts, protocols, architectures, and implementations.
4. And strongly advance developments toward meeting new market demands in systems, products, and technologies such as personal communications services, multimedia communications systems, enterprise networks, and optical communications systems.
The scope of each ComSoc Technical Committee is available on the TC's web site, which is accessible from the list of links at http://www.comsoc.org/socstr/org/operation/techcom/committees.html.
In this scope, the ComSoc Standards Board shall proactively advance the visibility and influence of ComSoc standards activities, encourage, nurture, and guide ComSoc standards initiatives and the resulting Working Groups.
The Standards Board is responsible for maintaining and interpreting the IEEE Communications Society Policies and Procedures on Standards Development Activities. The Standards Board Director reports to the ComSoc Vice President-Technical Activities. The Standards Board Director is also responsible for maintaining relations with the IEEE Standards Board and its standing committees.
4. Responsibilities of the ComSoc Standards Board
The Sponsor shall
1) Authorize the formation of study groups to determine if a Project Authorization Request should be created.
2) Review amendments to the operating procedures of corporate standards working groups and ensure that they are not in conflict with IEEE and non-profit laws
3) Provide mentoring support at the standards initiation phase and throughout the standards development process, as needed
4) Maintain established policies and procedures that allow working groups to begin technical work rapidly
5) Ensure that working groups engage dedicated support services to expedite the standards development process
6) Ensure working groups are made up of at least three (3) entity participants
7 ) Form a balloting group for approval of proposed standards. The group may be the Sponsor, provided that it meets the criteria for composition given in subclause 5.4.1 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual. The Sponsor may also delegate balloting to a specific balloting group in accordance with subclause 5.4.2 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.
5. Officers of the ComSoc Standards Board
There shall be a Director and a Secretary. A Treasurer is required if significant funds are involved in the operation of the sponsor or its subcommittees. These officers shall be appointed or elected in accordance with the procedures of the ComSoc entity that established the Sponsor. In the absence of such procedures, the Director shall be elected by the members of the Sponsor, and the Secretary and Treasurer shall be appointed by the Director. They may serve consecutive terms.
If a vacancy occurs in an officer position, the Sponsor shall run an election, in the absence of alternative procedures in the ComSoc entitity that established the sponsor for appointing officers, to fill the vacant position. The corporate member whose representative status has changed can request re-election to that officer position by submitting a new candidate to run for election to the vacant officer position.
5.1 Director
The Director shall:
1) Be an IEEE member of any grade , an IEEE ComSoc member and an IEEE-SA member
2) Institute a "Call for Participation" to the IEEE-SA corporate membership upon initiation of the project
3) Form balloting groups
4) Form Study Groups, as necessary
5) For organizational purposes, assist working groups in preparing and submitting PARs to the New Standards Committee (NesCom)
5.2 Secretary
The Secretary shall:
1) Distribute the agendas at least 14 calendar days before meeting
2) Record and have published minutes of each meeting within 60 calendar days of end of meeting
3) Maintain the membership roster
4) Schedule meetings in coordination with Director with at least 30 calendar days notice to interested parties.
5) Be responsible for the management and distribution of Sponsor documentation
6) Maintain lists of unresolved issues, action items, and assignments
5.3 Treasurer
The Treasurer shall maintain a budget and shall control all funds into and out of the sponsor's bank account.
6. ComSoc Standards Board Membership
Voting membership in the Sponsor shall be in accordance with the procedures of the IEEE body that established the Sponsor.
6.1 Overview
Voting membership in an entity sponsoring group shall be by individuals, by entities, or by both individuals and entities.
The Director shall review the voting membership list annually and submit it to the IEEE Standards Department in electronic form. Voting members are expected to fulfill the obligations of active participation. Membership status is maintained through consistent participation at meetings and through sponsor votes.
6.1 Membership Requirements
Voting membership in the sponsor shall be granted automatically to those participants attending the first sponsor meeting and upon their request. Thereafter, membership shall be granted after the participant attends two consecutive meetings of an existing sponsor and also requests membership status.
The member is expected to attend meetings as required by these procedures. The Secretary records attendance for members who attend at least 50% of a meeting’s duration. Attendance at a meeting via teleconferencing and/or electronic means, e.g., Internet conferencing, shall count towards the attendance requirements.
Each member is expected to vote on at least 75% of the ballots.
If a member misses two consecutive meetings, its membership status shall be revoked. The Director shall notify, in writing, a member who fails to attend two consecutive meetings and that has therefore lost its membership.
A member that has lost its voting privileges shall have its voting privileges reinstated by attendance at two consecutive meetings of the sponsor and upon request for member status. All voting privileges and rights shall be restored after attending the second consecutive meeting. If, for reasons of personal hardship, a member cannot attend two consecutive meetings (but that entity continues to vote in ballots taken between meetings), the sponsor will be consulted on the status of that member.
6.2 Membership Roster
The Secretary shall maintain a current and accurate roster for the Sponsor and shall distribute it to the members upon request or at least annually. All changes to the roster shall be forwarded to the Director immediately. The roster shall include the following:
1) Title of the Sponsor and its designation
2) Officers (i.e., Director, Treasurer)
3) Standards Staff Liaison (if applicable)
4) Voting Members
7. Voting
Approval of an action requires an approval vote from a majority of those votes cast from those entitled to vote at the time of a vote (either at a meeting or by electronic ballot), provided a quorum is present. Those able to vote shall be official members of the sponsor. Notification of the potential for action shall be included on any distributed agendas for meetings. These actions include
1) Adoption of new or revised Sponsor procedures, interest categories, or revisions thereof
2) Formation of a subgroup, including its procedures, scope and duties
3) Disbandment of subgroups
4) Approval of minutes
5) Approval of public statements
8. Quorum
A sponsor quorum must be identified before the initiation of sponsor business. A quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of the sponsor voting membership (e.g., the Designated Representative or Alternate Designated Representative of each entity). If a quorum is not present, a sponsor vote cannot be taken. If a quorum is not present, actions may be taken, subject to confirmation by a subsequent letter or electronic ballot.
9. Balloting Requirements
The Sponsor authorizes assembly of the IEEE Standards Sponsor balloting group for the purpose of voting on standards; each member of the balloting group classifies itself relative to the scope of the standards activity. The corporate and organizational members of the IEEE-SA will be engaged in the entity balloting process through offers to participate in the balloting pools for draft corporate projects. Consequently, each corporate and organizational member will be given the opportunity to join the balloting group of every entity ballot. The balloting group must have at least 5 members. The sponsor must ensure balance through the interest categories determined for each ballot group. The IEEE-SA Balloting Center shall be used to ballot all corporate standards projects.
Members of the balloting group shall meet the requirements of subclause 5.4.1.1 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual and may include
1) IEEE-SA entity members
2) Any materially affected and interested entities who pay the appropriate fee
9.1 Interest Categories
Three interest categories are recommended for use in corporate ballots: user, producer, and general interest. If necessary, in the interests of balance and representation, other categories may be established by the Sponsor (e.g., supplier, distributor, academia, government, professional organization, service provider).
No classification may consist of 50% or more of the balloting group membership. Care shall be taken to ensure that all interest categories are represented to the extent possible. Refer to 5.4.1.1 in the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual.
9.2 Classifications
If distinct divisions of a corporation, association, or organization can demonstrate to the Sponsor that they represent independent interests and the authority to make independent decisions that are so different that they fall into different interest categories, each may apply for membership in the ballot body. Each such case shall be approved on an exception basis by the IEEE-SA Standards Board and shall be reviewed by the IEEE-SA Standards Board to ensure that there will be no undue influence by any one entity on the standards balloting process. Each such division shall have a unique IEEE-SA membership.
10. Interpretations
The policies of subclause 5.5 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Bylaws and subclause 5.9 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual shall be followed.
11. Appeals
The Sponsor recognizes the right of appeal. Technical and procedural appeals are acceptable for the Sponsor. Every effort should be made to ensure that impartial handling of complaints regarding any action or inaction on the part of the Committee is performed in an identifiable manner. If the Sponsor must conduct an appeal, it shall model its appeals process on the appeals processes of the IEEE-SA Standards Board.
12. Public Statements on Standards
All communications shall comply with subclause 5.1.4 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual. Statements to external bodies shall not be released without prior approval by the Sponsor, which requires a majority vote. All public statements concerning corporate standards must be approved by the CAG and the IEEE-SA BOG.
13. Standards Publicity
The sponsor may prepare press releases and other forms of publicity to promote their activities. Publicity concerning intellectual property protection regimes, including trademarks and conformance programs, may also be developed. Please see subclause 5.1.5 of the IEEE-SA Standards Board Operations Manual for further instructions.
14. Standards Testing
The Sponsor may prepare test and evaluation programs for industrial compliance to the corporate standards they develop.
