Following a suspension in June, IEEE Standards Association Standards Board (SASB) announced a plans to enable the IEEE 802.20 Working Group to move forward with its work to develop a mobile broadband wireless access standard. The work had been suspended due to concerns that the working group had become highly contentious, appeared to lack transparency and showed evidence of possible “dominance” and other potential irregularities.
The plan calls for the working group’s reorganization including the appointment of new officers as well as new balloting and balloting resolution committees. Key points include:
- All of the IEEE 802.20 officers will be replaced in an effort to provide clearly neutral leadership and to eliminate perceptions of possible bias. The working group will remain suspended until at least a chair is approved by the SASB, which the SASB anticipates will take place on or before 12 November.
- Members of the IEEE 802 Executive Committee (EC) will work with the new officers to identify and address any efforts to dominate the IEEE 802.20 working group and to submit a plan to ensure dominance does not occur.
- All ballot and ballot resolution groups will be dissolved and reconstituted. The IEEE EC chair will determine when any balloting may begin. The plan preserves the right of the working group to move forward with the existing work product or consider alternative technology.
- IEEE 802.20 working group participants will be required to disclose their true affiliations at each meeting. They must identify any person or organization that, directly or indirectly, has requested, paid for or otherwise sponsored his/her participation.
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