Mission statement

The Technical Community on Computer Communications (TCCC) promotes activities, offers the information exchange, and stimulates the growth of those systems that integrate communications features with computer systems. Enabling a seamless integration of computing and networking is TCCC’s principal objective. This involves protocols, applications, and interfaces for both wired and wireless communications, but also a systems viewpoint of all aspects with practical relevance (including energy savings and technology) across all layers of the network stack. TCCC aims at fostering the dissemination and application of communication technologies in various application domains, which have not been exploiting the full potential of communication technology on a daily basis yet.

Find below our Charter and the IEEE Computer Society Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement.

Charter of the TCCC

Established (July 28, 2004); Amended (October 27, 2021)

Article I - Organization and Affiliation

1.1 This organization is the Technical Community on Computer Communications, also known as “TCCC”. It is a constituent part of the IEEE Computer Society and operates under the rules and policies of that society. The IEEE Computer Society (“IEEE-CS”) is a constituent society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”).

Article II - Purpose

2.1 Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among interested practitioners, researchers, developers, maintainers, users and students in the changing field of computer communications. In support of this forum, the IEEE-CS TCCC focuses on the software and algorithmic aspects of current, emerging, and at times novel computing paradigms fostered by such open communication networks. Typically, the IEEE-CS TCCC does not focus on the regulated “tariffed” network infrastructures, upon which the IEEE Communications Society’s TCCC (ComSoc-TCCC) does focus. Moreover, the IEEE-CS TCCC does not focus entirely on the practices of software engineering, hardware architectures or user interfaces; but addresses those aspects that pertain to computer system communications methods and infrastructure with collaborative overlap being inevitable.

2.2 Promote and facilitate the sharing of ideas, techniques, standards, and experiences between TCCC members for more effective use of technologies of interest to Computer System Users, Applications and Systems Integrators, Computing System Collaborators, Large Computing System Providers, and Computer and Software Systems Researchers and Engineers. The goal of the CS TCCC is to leverage the interactions among the TCCC membership and other IEEE-CS TCs through engaging the breadth of expertise among the TCCC membership and the membership of sister TCs through collaboration, publications, conferences and workshops.

2.3 Conduct workshops, conferences, and other meetings to advance both the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-practice of computing systems integration with current and emerging data communications and computing technologies.

2.4 Publish and distribute among its members, and other IEEE-CS parties, newsletters, proceedings, standards proposals, and other appropriate material on a non-profit basis.

2.5 Provide professional development opportunities for members in the TCCC and sister TCs/TFs and related technologies.

2.6 Foster other activities for the advancement of the computer communications field and the interests of TCCC membership within the scope of TCCC’s charge under the rules of the IEEE-CS, including cooperating with other groups in joint activities and projects.

Article III - Membership

3.1 Any individual who files an application for membership which is forwarded to the IEEE-CS headquarters for inclusion in the database is eligible for membership in the TCCC.

3.2 Membership in the IEEE or the IEEE-CS is not required for membership in TCCC, but is encouraged.

3.3 Members are required to maintain a current mailing address with the IEEE-CS headquarters. Members who cannot be located are dropped from membership.

3.4 If TCCC at any time establishes membership dues, the payment of such dues for the current period (or within an established administrative grace period) is required to establish and/or maintain membership in TCCC.

3.5 Members of TCCC who are Computer Society members will receive benefits that non-Computer Society members will not receive, such as the right to vote in elections, hold elected office, or receive free copies of TC newsletters.

Article IV - Officers and Executive Committee

4.1 The officers of the TCCC are the Chair, Executive Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Chair for Conferences, Newsletter Editor, and other vice Chairs as is necessary. Current membership can be found here.

4.2 The Vice Chairs are appointed by the TCCC Chair for a term equal to that of the Chair, starting in January. Vice Chairs are eligible for reappointment.

4.3 The Executive Committee (“ExComm”) of the TCCC is chaired by the TCCC Chair, directs the operations of the TCCC and determines the budget and nature of TCCC activities. The ExComm serves as a source of guidance on policy, a resource for special projects, and for contact with the membership at large. The ExComm consists of all the officers of the TCCC listed in 4.1.

4.4 The quorum for transaction of ExComm business is 50% of its membership or 5 members, whichever is less. Unless otherwise specified, all actions before the TCCC ExComm require a majority vote of a quorum of the TCCC ExComm.

4.5 A minimum of one TCCC ExComm meeting will be held each year. Other meetings may be called by Chair, or a majority of the ExComm members. The ExComm may meet and transact business by telephone conference call or email, provided members without email are informed of the business being addressed. ExComm members unable to attend TCCC ExComm meetings may submit a proxy to the TCCC Secretary (or Chair), in writing, by mail, fax, or electronic mail.

4.6 Inactive ExComm members may be removed by the TCCC Chair. Vacancies in the ExComm arising in any way are filled by appointment of the TCCC Chair.

4.7 Officer Responsibilities

4.7.1 The duties and responsibilities of the TCCC Chair are specified by the rules and procedures of the IEEE-CS Technical Activities Board (TAB). In addition to those duties, the TCCC Chair appoints the TCCC officers, subcommittee chairs, and the members of the Executive Committee. The Chair submits an annual report and budget request to TAB, attends at least two TAB meetings per year, and assists with the transition to a new Chair at the end of the term, providing orientation to the newly elected Chair before becoming Past Chair.

4.7.2 The Executive Vice Chair assumes the duties of Chair in the absence of the Chair. The individual designated as Executive Vice Chair may simultaneously serve in another officer capacity.

4.7.3 The Past Chair is responsible for advising and assisting the Chair in execution of the business of TCCC as requested by the Chair. The Past Chair may simultaneously serve in another officer capacity.

4.7.4 The TCCC Secretary (or person appointed by the Chair) keeps and publishes the minutes of ExComm meetings, and handles such other correspondence and duties as are assigned by the TCCC Chair. The Secretary handles mailing and tabulation of ballots when mail votes are held.

4.7.5 The Treasurer (also called the Finance Chair) prepares an annual operating budget, collects and maintains account of funds received and expended, and coordinates financial matters with the IEEE-CS.

4.7.6 The Vice Chair for Conferences reviews and approves all requests for TCCC sponsorship, co-sponsorship, or cooperation on conferences, symposia, and other technical meetings, in coordination with the IEEE­-CS.

4.7.7 The Newsletter Editor is responsible for editing and publishing the TCCC newsletter, and coordinating communication of TCCC news and information.

4.7.8 The TCCC Chair may from time to time appoint additional Vice Chairs with specified portfolios, such as Publicity, Education, Awards, Activities, Future Trends, and Standards.

Article V - Subcommittees

5.1 The TCCC Chair, in consultation with the ExComm, may from time to time charter additional subcommittees with specified scopes of interest within such fields as Information Security, Business Information Management, Application Integration, Web Services, Disaster Recovery Planning, Intrusion Detection, Remote Connectivity, Customer Relationship Management, Computer Systems Privacy, Network Protocol Technologies, Mobile Computing Technologies, Pervasive and Sensor Communications, and/or Computing Systems Education to name a few. The chartered subcommittee will conduct business according to their charter and the subcommittee chair will report to the TCCC the results of the activities of the subcommittee. The subcommittee chair will be appointed by the TCCC Chair based on the nomination from the subcommittee. When establishing the subcommittee or in absence of a nomination from the subcommittee, the TCCC Chair will appoint a Subcommittee Chair.

5.2 Any charter statement or operating rules of a subcommittee are subject to the approval of the TCCC ExComm.

5.3 Subcommittees must operate within the rules and policies of TCCC and the IEEE-CS.

Article VI - TC Elections

6.1 The technical community shall hold an election for the position of TCCC Chair. The TCCC Chair is elected for a two (2) year term. The term of office begins January 1. The TCCC Chair must be an IEEE-CS member, and may serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

6.2 To vote in elections, a TCCC member must be both a member of TCCC and a member of the Computer Society.

6.3 In the event of a tie, the TCCC ExComm will vote to break the tie and select the new Chair. Any issue or dispute with any part of the election process is decided by the TAB Vice President.

6.4 Election Procedure

6.4.1 The TC forms a Nominations Committee to handle nominations for the TCCC Chair and any other elected positions. It is suggested, though not required, that at least one of the members be the current or a former TCCC Chair. No one who is serving on the Nominations Committee may be selected as a nominee.

6.4.2 The Nominations Committee solicits nominations from TCCC members and the ExComm for the office of TCCC Chair. Additional petition candidates will be accepted and must be endorsed by at least 50 signatures to be considered. A petition begins by the candidate notifying the Nominations Committee of an intent to run. Recognizing the distributed nature of the TCCC membership, members may join a petition for nomination individually before the deadline by signed letter, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail message that can be validated.

6.4.3 Upon closure of nominations, the Nominations Committee by majority vote submits to the Secretary a list of at least two (2) candidates. The slate of candidates must be approved by ExComm.

6.4.4 The ExComm Secretary or the Nominations Committee will prepare the ballot, and arrange for mailing to the membership, and return of the ballots by a determined date. The ballot should contain candidate names alphabetical by family name, biographical information, and position statements including involvement in TCCC. No distinction will be made on the ballot between candidates nominated by committee or petition. The ballot mailing should allow for at least two months from mailing to election deadline.

6.4.5 The ballot and candidate information may be mailed as part of the TCCC Newsletter or as a special mailing to members. All eligible TCCC members must be given the opportunity to vote. Ballots are returned to the TCCC Secretary or other designee. Ballots will contain sufficient identification of the TCCC member to enable validation of the member’s right to vote. However, the TCCC Secretary will protect the confidentiality of all member votes.

6.4.6 The Secretary or designee will arrange for collection and counting of ballots. The chair of the nominations committee will announce the election results within 30 days of the close of the election and prepare an election report, per TAB guidelines, for the TCCC membership and TAB Vice President.

6.4.7 The candidate receiving the most valid votes will be elected. No intermediate counts will be revealed. Final numeric vote totals will be released only to the candidates and the TAB Vice President.

Article VII - Amendment of Charter Statement

7.1 This Charter Statement may be amended by approval of a quorum of the ExComm. Any amendment is subject to the approval of the IEEE-CS through its Vice President for Technical Activities.

Article VIII - Other

8.1 TCCC will act in all matters within the parameters of IEEE-CS rules and policies, and with due regard for the tax exempt status of IEEE-CS.

IEEE Computer Society Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are central to the goals of the IEEE Computer Society and all of its activities. Equity at its heart is about removing barriers, biases, and obstacles that impede equal access and opportunity to succeed. Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing diverse talents. Inclusion is the active engagement of Diversity and Equity.

A goal of the IEEE Computer Society is to foster an environment in which all individuals are entitled to participate in any IEEE Computer Society activity free of discrimination. For this reason, the IEEE Computer Society is firmly committed to team compositions in all sponsored activities, including but not limited to, technical committees, steering committees, conference organizations, standards committees, and ad hoc committees that display Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.