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[802SEC] Get802 Program SEC ballot





I suggest that the release of funds should be postponed 
pending the outcome of the current work on the program,
for the following reasons:

1) We have no committment to extend the program past
May 15, 2002.

2) The IEEE staff has made clear their desire to alter
the program unless a significant level of corporate
sponsorship is secured.

3) While several parties are working diligently to
secure corporate sponsorship for the program, the
desired level of funding has not yet been secured.

4) Given 2 and 3, we don't know what the program will
be after May 15.  If we send the 802
contribution before the negotiations have been
completed, we will be supporting a program that we
may or may not like, and we will loose a considerable
amount of leverage in the negotiations.

In my opinion, the success or failure of Get802 does
not hinge on 802's direct financial contribution.
The LMSC funds represent a base level of funding for
Get802, and they turn out to be the one constant
in a shifting financial picture.  Corporate sponsorship,
subscriptions, and sales of individual documents are
subject to many factors. Unfortunately, the past year
has been a truly lousy one for most of the networking
industry, so all of the financial components of the
Get802 program suffered mightily, with the exception
of the LMSC's contribution.

If you believe in the Get802 program, and you want to
see it continue, here is what you must do:

  Apply all of your energy to securing corporate
  sponsorship for the program.  Work on your own
  company, and work every contact you have in the
  industry.  Find volunteers in your WGs to do the
  same. If each SEC member can convince a company
  to sponsor Get802, the IEEE's financial goal will
  be met.

If the corporate sponsorship shows up, then we can 
work with the IEEE staff to define the right program,
and send in our contribution.  If the corporate 
sponsorship doesn't show up, the program is toast,
and our financial contribution won't matter.

Howard