[802SEC] Thoughts on plenaries
We have two continuing problems, which keep growing worse with time:
1. Finding places that can handle 1600+ of us.
Is there any substantial benefit in having all our groups meet at the
same time and place? (I understand that the wireless groups do have some
joint business and do need to meet together.) We're all busy with out
own agendas, and certainly can't participate with the other. And it
prevents people from being able to contribute to more than one group.
2. Finding enough time for EC discussions, work, decisions.
By holding EC meetings as part of the all-802 sessions, we make EC
members choose between their groups and mid-week EC meetings. And we
don't have enough anywhere near enough time to do our EC work with the
proper time and attention that it deserves.
Has it come time to stop grouping all 802 WGs/TAGs together at the same
time and place? Maybe we should follow the workings of other
groups/sponsors. For example, the MSC WGs meet independently, and the
MSC EC meets independently of WG meetings.
This would make the non-NA issue a non-issue, because reasonable sized
groupings would be able to (and already do) find many possibilities for
locations around the world. It would allow people, such as myself, to
possibly attend and contribute to more than one WG (if we managed to
avoid scheduling our WG sessions on the same dates). Those groups that
do find a benefit from colocating could still do so (as I believe the
wireless groups already do for some or all of their interims).
We would be able to do EC business in dedicated EC meetings, that could
be scheduled separately, possibly via screen sharing (e.g., WebEx) and
teleconferencing, avoiding travel. We could devote the time needed on
difficult issues without having to rush through issues without adequate
discussion, as we currently have to do on Monday mornings and Friday
afternoons. And WGs/TAGs would be able to use as much of the week as
they wish, without having to set aside Mondays and Fridays for EC and
802 plenary meetings.
jl
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