[802SEC] IEEE RAC Chair observations on 802 PARs
Dear EC colleagues:
I have seen a number of 802 PARs considered during many recent plenary meetings that I personally believe do not address the RAC Mandatory Coordination question correctly. The instruction on RAC Mandatory Coordination for many years has read (copied from myProject):
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The IEEE Registration Authority Committee (RAC) is a mandatory coordination body. A YES answer to this question provides early notification that RAC mandatory coordination will occur during Sponsor ballot. Working groups are welcome to engage the RAC if appropriate earlier in the project.
If the proposed standard requires (or is expected to require) the unique identification of objects or numbers for use in industry, the project has registration activity. This does not cover things like code points defined within the standard.
A YES answer with brief explanation is appropriate if:
1. The proposed standard creates a new registry.
2. The proposed standard includes new use of an existing registry (whether IEEE RA or other registry authority). An existing IEEE registry example would be use of an Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI). An explanation of a new registration activity should be supplied on the PAR. Please visit the IEEE Registration Authority website (http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/index.html) for additional information regarding existing registries.
3. When RAC review of previously reviewed text is appropriate to assure terminology and descriptions of usage are current.
A NO answer is appropriate:
1. When the project has no registration activity.
2. When a project modifying an existing standard with registration activity will not be adding new text nor modifying existing registration activity text previously reviewed by the IEEE Registration Authority (e.g., corrigendum on non-registry content). Please briefly explain why RAC review is not required.
Please note that the RAC may request mandatory coordination on any project, independent of the answer to this question.
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Please consider the above instruction in your PAR process so that early notice of RAC mandatory coordination is provided when appropriate for the scope of work on a project. I believe the PAR development process of many Sponsors/WGs including those of 802 WGs tend to isolate participants from this and other PAR form instructions as best I know only available when filling out a PAR in myProject. I would guess that many of your WG members are either unaware of the instructions or haven’t reviewed them in many years. (The instruction may be found in myProject using the circle i next to the 6.1, B item, or by selecting view all instructions. You can look at or copy the instructions by starting the appropriate type of PAR but discarding it before submittal.)
Proper treatment of the RAC mandatory coordination question will reduce the probability of being surprised with late-in-the-process RAC mandatory coordination comments, perhaps even as late as at RevCom that as recent events with projects have demonstrated can delay the approval of a project.
Robert M. (Bob) Grow
Chair, IEEE Registration Authority Committee
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