January 22, 2003

Background

At the November 2002 JTC 1 TAG meeting, the following action item was assigned:

12. The JTC 1 TAG Chairman will prepare the draft US comments in response to JTC 1 N 6954. The comments will be circulated for review and will be posted to the inaugural Executive Board agenda for consideration in February 2003. (Agenda Item 9, November 2002 minutes)

The attached contribution is submitted for consideration at the February 2003 meeting of the INCITS Executive Board.

Attachment

The United States offers the following comments on JTC 1 N 6954, Refinement of SC Initiated NP Ballot Procedures.

The United States understands the concern which the Chairman of SC 17 has elucidated in this document.  However, the United States does not agree with the proposition that JTC 1 should limit the ability of a P-Member of an SC to comment back to JTC 1 itself.  It is the opinion of the U.S. that the ability of a National Body member of JTC 1 to offer its comments to JTC 1 upon subcommittee issues, including issues of subcommittees in which the National Body is a P-Member, is essential and is in the best interests of national bodies and of JTC 1 itself.

We note that within the United States, the TAG to JTC 1 establishes U.S. positions on all JTC 1 matters with the advice of its corresponding TAGs to technical committees.  However, the technical TAGs are not always aware of all issues which the JTC 1 TAG itself must consider in establishing the U.S. position on a particular item, and it is possible that whereas a position is appropriate taking into account only that subcommittee, a different position may be dictated by external considerations.

In general, the U.S. notes that it is neither appropriate or legitimate for JTC 1 to establish conditional limits upon the participation of a National Body in a JTC 1 activity because of its participation in another JTC 1 activity, including participation upon JTC 1 itself and participation in  JTC 1 Subcommittees.