Communications Switching and Routing Technical Committee

Operating Procedures and Policies

(approved at TCCSR meeting on Nov. 11, 2019)

  1. Scope

The Technical Committee on Communications Switching and Routing (TCCSR) aims to advance the state of the art in theory and applications of information switching and networking through the following means:

  • to bring together professionals with interests in various aspects of Communications Switching and Routing such as theory and architecture (B-ISDN/ATM, optical switching), teletraffic theory, mobility and call control, signalling protocol, intelligent networks and service features, switching software architecture, management, economics, and applications of switching and routing systems.
  • to provide a forum for discussion and exchange of technical matters among members in the committee meetings, special interest group meetings, topical meetings, and workshops.
  • to sponsor technical sessions at conferences and stimulate high-quality technical papers for conferences and IEEE publications.
  • to organize special issues of IEEE publications.
  1. Objective
  • Promote knowledge and dissemination of knowledge related to the scope of the CSR Technical Committee
  • Foster the development of new emerging topical areas related to the scope of the CSR Technical Committee
  • Provide technical support to the development of ComSoc conferences, publications, standards, and educational activities
  1. Organizational Structure

The CSR Technical Committee reports to the Technical Committees Board.

  • TC Members shall:
    • be ComSoc members in good standing
    • be those members who have been active in the TC activities for the past three years.
    • participate in TC meetings
    • cast informed votes on TC business
    • be encouraged to assist in the conduct of TC business
  • Collaborators – individuals who are not ComSoc members may participate in TC activities as collaborators.
  • Subcommittees and Special Interest Groups may be formed by the TC.
    • Subcommittees deal with specific tasks related to the TC operations, e.g., nomination and selection of awards, TC officer elections, etc.
    • Special Interest Groups (SIGs) help the TC foster the scientific and technological development in topical emerging technologies within the scope of the TC. SIGs may be created to promote activities in well-established technologies.
  1. Activities and Responsibilities
  • TC Chair

Duties of the Chair include, but are not limited to, the following items:

  • Represents the Technical Committee on the Technical Committees Board;
  • Provides guidance and direction to Technical Committee members in the conduct of their responsibilities;
  • Appoints Chairs of Subcommittees and Special Interest Groups as necessary;
  • Coordinates with ComSoc Staff in the conduct of his/her responsibilities;
  • May assume leadership for specific projects, as delegated by the Technical Committee;
  • TC Vice Chair
  • Replaces the TC Chair in case of his/her absence;
  • Assists the TC Chair and Secretary in his/her activities;
  • TC Secretary
    • Coordinates the TC meetings, arranging the meeting time schedule, reserving the meeting room and food, and informing the members via the e-mail list.
    • Prepares reports for the TC and Technical Committees Board meetings
    • Provides an annual written report, which shall be distributed to the VP-TEA-C, the Director-Technical Committees, and TC members prior to each meeting held at ICC.
    • Records the minutes of the TC meetings
    • Maintains contact with the TC members and Chair
    • Sends announcements to the TC e-mail list
    • Maintains and updates the TC website
  • Technical Committee

Responsibilities of the Technical Committee shall be as specified in the Bylaws and the Technical Committee Board P&Ps.

  1. Transaction of Business
  • All TC meetings shall be conducted in compliance with Clause 2.0 of ComSoc’s P&Ps.
  • The TC shall hold at least two in-person meetings per year, one at ICC or GLOBECOM (with the possibility of remote participation by dial-in).
  • The TC may conduct additional meetings concurrent with flagship conferences for the TC.
  • Conference calls, discussions via email, and voting via email shall be conducted on an as needed basis.
  1. Membership

Any IEEE Communication Society (ComSoc) member can be a Member of the Communications Switching and Routing Technical Committee (TCCSR). Two levels of memberships are defined:

Ordinary Member – to become an Ordinary Member it is necessary to subscribe to the TCCSR mailing list as it is specified on the TCCSR web page.

Active Member – to become an Active Member it is necessary to be the Ordinary Member and also to satisfy at least one of the following conditions:

  • has attended (physically present or by teleconference) at least one of the regularly scheduled TCCSR meetings in the last two years before the election,
  • has served in last two years as a TPC Member or TPC Chair or Co-Chair, Advisory Board (or equivalent) for conferences and workshops sponsored by TCCSR, namely IEEE Globecom Symposia, IEEE ICC Symposia, HPSR, and attended at least one of the regularly scheduled TCCSR meetings in the past.

The TCCSR Secretary is responsible for maintaining an attendance list for each meeting. The list of Active Members should be maintained based on attendance lists and information about activities provided by Members.

All meetings of the TCCSR are open.

  1. Elected and Appointed Officers

The TCCSR Chair reports directly to the VP of Technical Activities (VP-TA), in accordance with the IEEE ComSoc Bylaws.

If a TCCSR officer position becomes vacant before the normal conclusion of his/her term, the remaining term shall be filled by special election of the TC. If such a special election is not held before or during the next regularly scheduled meeting, the VP-TA, in consultation with the President, shall appoint someone to serve the remaining term. Positions filled shall be for completion of the interrupted term. The special election should be held by one of the other elected and not vacant TCCSR officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, or Secretary).

TCCSR has three elected officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Chair, Vice-chair, and Secretary must be an Active Member of the TC. Student Members are not permitted to serve as elected TC officers.

At the discretion of the TC, there may be additional elected or appointed (non-officer) positions. In no case shall there be more than eight elected officers; there may be as many appointed positions as is necessary for proper operation of the TC.

The nominal term for Chair, Vice-chair and Secretary shall be two years. Any officer can be elected to the same position for one additional, contiguous term (i.e., continuously serve in any particular officer position for a maximum of four years). TC officers can be elected to a different officer position, but in no case shall one person continuously serve as a TC officer within the same TC for more than eight years.

  1. Nomination and Election Procedures

Elections will occur every two years and will be ratified at the TCCSR meeting held during IEEE International Conference on Communications (IEEE ICC) or IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM). Only Active Members may vote. A Nominations & Elections (N&E) Committee that consists of three volunteers who are Active Members (one of whom preferably should be the TC Current Chair) shall facilitate the election of officers. The TC Current Chair shall also chair the N&E Committee. The N&E Committee shall come into existence at the TC meeting held at IEEE International Conference on Communications (IEEE ICC) or IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM) preceding the actual election and shall be dissolved thirty days after the elections have been fully completed.

The purpose of the N&E Committee is:

  • to determine deadline for submitting nominations;
  • to offer candidate names for all elected officer positions;
  • to define the tool/way of election;
  • to conduct the election.

The N&E Committee shall also make biographies and position statements of candidates available to those eligible to vote. Members shall be able to submit nominations via email to the N&E Committee up to the deadline specified by N&E Committee. . . The nominees will be identified by the N&E Committee for eligibility as candidates for election. All candidates must be Active Members, must consent to being nominated, and must show willingness to serve.

TC elections shall be conducted by the N&E Committee and held by the means decided by the N&E Committee (e.g., email, via the web-based system, or show of hands at the TCCSR meeting). Only Active Members can vote.

For the show of hands voting at the TCCSR meeting, actual nominations from the floor are also acceptable. All candidates, however, they are identified, must consent to be nominated and must show a willingness to serve, if elected.

For electronic voting (e.g., email or web-based) it is necessary to register to vote. The quorum for a valid election is equal to two-thirds of the voters.

In the case of two candidates for a position, the election is by a simple majority. For the case of more than two but fewer than five candidates, the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. For five or more candidates, selection proceeds in two stages. In the first stage, votes can be cast for all candidates. In the second stage, votes can be cast only for up to four candidates who have garnered the most votes in the first stage. In the event of a tie, votes shall be cast one more time.

All candidates shall be informed of election results and be permitted to appeal the outcome. The TC Secretary shall keep a record of votes cast for post-election audit purposes.

Newly elected TCCSR officers assume their positions at the conclusion of the TCCSR meeting on which the election was held or the N&E Committee reports the election outcome.

After the election: After each election of officers, the TC Chair shall provide an Election Report to the Director-Technical Committees and the VP-TEA within two weeks. The Election Report shall contain:

  • An outline of the election process;
  • Name of the person preparing the ballot;
  • The candidates for each office and how the candidates were selected for the ballot;
  • The IEEE member number for each candidate;
  • The method of voting (in person, electronically, by teleconference, etc.);
  • The method used to determine which members are entitled to vote;
  • A list of those members who voted in the election;
  • The actual vote tally by candidate;

Election results shall be authorized by the Director – Technical Committees upon consultation with the VP-TEA.

Election results become valid when approved by the Director – Technical Committees and the VP-TEA. The Director of Technical Committees or the VP-TEA shall accordingly notify the serving TC chair within two weeks after receipt of the Election Report.

If the Director – Technical Committees does not authorize the election results, the Director shall organize a new election on behalf of the TC.

  1. TC Meetings

TCCSR meetings are held twice a year at IEEE ICC and IEEE GLOBECOM. Meetings will be announced at least two weeks in advance on the TC mailing list. Meetings are open to any conference attendee.

TCCSR Meetings are chaired by the TCCSR Chair or a designated substitute, typically another TCCSR officer. Any TCCSR member can suggest items for the agenda.

The TC Secretary will take minutes. These minutes should be made available within two months of the meeting. Their availability is announced on the TC mailing list. Minutes are posted on the TCCSR web site and are public.

Should voting (other than for officers which has been specified above) occur at the TC meetings, only Active Members physically present or attending by teleconference have voting right. A simple majority rule applies. If voting involves changes to the Policies and Procedures (P&P), then a two-thirds majority of Active Members physically present or attending by teleconference is required.

  1. Supporting Activities

As appropriate, TCCSR will be active in all of ComSoc’s activities. This will include ComSoc conferences (e.g., ICC, GLOBECOM, INFOCOM, MILCOM, and OFC) by providing representatives to their respective Technical Program Committees, by providing for professional review of submitted papers (by soliciting such assistance from among its membership) and by organizing mini-conferences, symposia, panels, short courses, tutorials, etc., as deemed appropriate by the Society and the Committee. Further, the TCCSR can individually organize workshops and conferences. Also, because of the broad nature of committee activities, collaborative sessions with other committees will be sponsored and heartily encouraged. As new technologies and application areas emerge, a TC will seek to address aspects of these topics relative to its charter and work with both the Strategic Planning Committee and Emerging Technologies Committee.

The TCCSR will further support ComSoc journals, magazines, and standards activities by soliciting volunteers as authors and editors, submitting proposals, and identifying committee members from its membership. The TCCSR will seek ways to increase active participation of its members in information exchange related to the charter of this Committee, such as stimulating Feature Topics and Special Issues of ComSoc journals and magazines; and by sponsoring workshops, tutorials, short courses, panel sessions, etc. on special topics.

  1. Budget

The TC Chair shall request the VP-TEA to inform the TC of its budget, and shall provide budget requests to the VP-TEA in time for consideration by the ComSoc Board of Governors during its budget approval process.

When the TCCSR feels that funds are needed to fulfill its mission, a proposal will be prepared by one or more TCCSR Officers for discussion and approval at a TCCSR meeting (Such discussion can also be carried out via the TCCSR’s email list). The proposal should contain sufficient detail about the activity for which funds are sought and justification for funds being requested. If the TCCSR agrees to the proposal, it will be submitted to the VP-TEA for his/her approval. If approved, funds will be used in accordance with ComSoc procedures. The Secretary of the TCCSR will maintain a record of expenses. Invoices are sent to the VP-TEA for approval, and then to ComSoc headquarters for payment or reimbursement.

Expenses will normally be incurred for maintaining the TCs information infrastructure (e.g., volunteer maintenance of its website) or showing appreciation for volunteer support. Recognition will not include awarding money, nor are TC funds to be used for travel purposes.

  1. Awards

TCCSR has established two Awards: Distinguished Technical Contribution Award and Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Technical Contribution Award is to recognize TCCSR members for their technical contributions in the areas covered by TCCSR. The Distinguished Service Award is to recognize TCCSR members for their activities and contributions in the fields covered by TCCSR.

Candidates for the two Awards shall be nominated by TCCSR members. Any member of CSR TC is eligible for being nominated.

An Awards Subcommittee shall be formed and is responsible for the selection of award recipients. The Awards Subcommittee Chair shall be appointed by the TC Chair and the TC Chair shall appoint four members to the subcommittee including at least one TC officer (unless conflicts of interest exist for all officers). The four members of the TC Awards Subcommittee shall include at least one current TC officer, one past TC chair, and two other members. The members of the Awards Subcommittee, including the Chair, shall be approved at a TC meeting and information on the Awards Subcommittee members (name, affiliation, and email address) and their terms shall be posted on the TC web page.

Real or perceived conflicts of interest between Awards Subcommittee members and those TC members receiving the awards shall be disclosed. In case of a real or perceived conflict of interest, the Awards Subcommittee member shall not participate in the selection of award recipients.

Awards should be given to deserving and outstanding individuals. Awards are restricted to the scope of the technical committees.

The Awards Subcommittee deliberations for each award, and all documents submitted to or created by the Subcommittee, shall be strictly confidential. Only the final award recipients shall be openly announced.

The Chair of the TC Awards Subcommittee shall prepare an Awards Selection Report containing the following information for each award:

  • the process conducted to select the award recipient;
  • the names of all candidates for the award;
  • the name of the recipient of the award and associated justification.

The TC Chair shall send the Awards Selection Report to the Technical Committees Director for approval. The Technical Committees Director shall approve the Awards Selection Report within two weeks of receipt. If the Director does not approve the report, the TC Chair shall be contacted to discuss the issues raised. A revised report may be submitted to the Director for approval. If the outstanding issues are not resolved between the Director and the TC Chair, the VP-TEA shall bring the matter to the TEA-C for a final decision.

Once the Awards Selection Report has been approved, and only then the final award recipients may be announced.

  1. Website and Email
  • TCCSR shall maintain an official web page and a mailing list hosted by the ComSoc IT Department. Announcements distributed to the Technical Committee’s membership, notably meeting agendas and meeting minutes, opportunities for membership participation in Committee- sponsored activities, as well as election-related issues, will be made available on their Web page.
  • The web page shall contain information about officers and their contact information, the scope of the TC, TC P&Ps, subscription to membership, and minutes of meetings held.
  1. Electronic Newsletters

TCCSR shall have an electronic newsletter aiming at disseminating information of interest to the TC membership. The newsletter shall be posted on the committee web page. An electronic newsletter edition shall be announced through the TC mailing list and published on the TC website.