Federal Networking Council Advisory CommitteeCharter
Purpose
The Federal Networking Council Advisory Committee (FNCAC) is afederally chartered advisory committee operating under thefederal laws governing such activities. It is constituted toadvise the Federal Networking Council (FNC) on policy andprogrammatic matters related to networking sponsored by theagencies that make up the Federal Networking Council. Programsthat are part of the High Performance Computing Act of 1991 andthe National Information Infrastructure Initiative (NII) are ofparticular interest.
The FNCAC shall provide the FNC with technical, tactical, andstrategic advice from the constituencies involved in the NRENprogram. Constituencies include the following: the research andscholarly communities who are the end users of the networks;organizations and individuals that need connectivity to the NREN;transmission and other facilities providers; industrialorganizations that develop and provide relevant technology andservices; and experts in networking and computer science whoprovide technical guidance.
The FNCAC is advisory in nature and shall work on areas of policyand technical direction and user/program needs and requirements. The FNC may ask the FNCAC to provide input on specific issues. In addition, the FNCAC may address topics it deems important toNational and Grand Challenge issues.
Membership
Membership is limited to 24 members who will be selected by theFNC Chairperson in response to recommendations by the FNC. Members will serve a term of 3 years, and one third of themembership will be selected each year. FNCAC members may beselected for consecutive 3 year terms with the mutual consent ofthe member and the FNCAC. Each member will be selected on thebasis of the individual expertise he or she may contribute to theFNCAC, and not as a representative of his or her institution. In the event a member resigns, the Chairperson of the FNC willselect a replacement that will complement the skills of the otherFNCAC members.
Chairperson and Chairperson Designate
The Chairperson of the FNC will select a Chairperson Designatewho will serve for a term of one year. The Chairperson Designatewill then become Chairperson of the FNCAC for a term of one year. The FNCAC Chairperson will be responsible for coordinating thewritten reports to the FNC and for communicating with the FNCChairperson about future agenda items. In addition, theChairperson, in conjunction with the FNCAC Steering Committeewill be responsible for setting annual goals for the FNCAC. Inthe event the Chairperson is not available, the ChairpersonDesignate will assume the duties of the Chairperson.
Meetings of the FNCAC
Meetings of the FNCAC occur at least two times per year. Allmeetings will be open to the general public, except for sessionsthat may be closed in accordance with the provisions of theFederal Advisory Committee Act. Any attendee can request tospeak, but only FNCAC members will be allowed to vote on matters,or to draft reports to the FNC.
Steering Committee
A Steering Committee will be chosen by the FNCAC Chairperson forthe purposes of working with the FNC regarding agenda items andFNCAC reports. This Steering Committee will work with theChairperson and Chairperson Designate to develop appropriateissues for the purposes of providing input to the FNC on NREN andNational Information Infrastructure issues.
Task Groups
The FNCAC can create Task Groups to provide assistance to the FNC on appropriate issues. Non-members of the FNCAC may be asked to join Task Groups to provide for added range of expertise. The report generated by the Task Group will be the responsibility of the FNCAC members that are on the Task Group.