[STDS-802-16] update on Session #60 (March 2009) and future non-North American 802 Plenaries
I'd like to provide an update on the 802 EC decision
regarding the March 2009 IEEE 802 Plenary, which will be the
site of 802.16's Session #60.
Buzz Rigsbee, the 802 Executive Secretary, ran a survey
during the November 802 Plenary regarding preferences for
non-North America plenary venues and on the alternatives for
March 2009:
<http://ieee802.org/16/arc/802-16list2/msg04554.html>.
The survey results:
<http://ieee802.org/secmail/msg09997.html>
were posted prior to the EC meeting of 16 November.
You might find the outcome of that survey interesting. First
all of, here is the breakdown of registration by the WG of
primary interest:
802.16 414 30.2%
802.11 244 17.8%
802.3 235 17.1%
802.15 167 12.2%
802.1 129 9.4%
none 53 3.9%
802.21 44 3.2%
802.22 41 3.0%
802.20 26 1.9%
802.18 10 0.7%
802.17 6 0.4%
802.19 2 0.1%
Notice that 802.16 represented over 30% of the attendance,
much larger than any other WG.
Getting on to the results, the report shows that, of the
March 2009 options, the 802 responses as a whole favored
Vancouver over Rome by 362 to 185. The population of only
one WG (with 5 responses) favored Rome. Among those who
registered a primary interest in 802.16, the numbers were 90
to 45 for Vancouver.
When the EC met on 16 November, I spoke out in favor of
Vancouver. However, the EC voted to hold the session in
Rome.
In subsequent discussions on the EC reflector, several EC
members (including me) raised concerns about the decision
and with some potential problems with the specific Rome
venue under discussions. Subsequently, an EC ballot was
raised to reconsider the earlier decision. The motion
passed:
<http://ieee802.org/secmail/msg10150.html>.
Therefore, the Executive Secretary will proceed with
finalizing contracts for Vancouver. I've added this
information to the session calendar:
<http://ieee802.org/16/calendar.html>
On the general issue of non-North American venues, I
continue to believe that 802 needs to begin planning
them. However, I think we need to do it in conjunction
with local sponsors, not on our own. I have proposed to the
EC a process to seek hosting offers for the next available
Plenary spot - March 2011:
<http://ieee802.org/secmail/msg10121.html>
My proposal seems to be getting significant support in the
EC. If you are interested in hosting the March 2011 Plenary,
I'll be happy to keep you informed.
Roger