IEEE Broadcast Technology Society
Bylaws

1. Membership

There shall be two grades of IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (hereinafter Society) membership: student members and members. Student members of the IEEE may become student members of the Society upon payment of the annual student membership fee in effect at the time Society membership is requested. Members of the IEEE in other grades may become members of the Society upon payment of the annual Society membership fee in effect at the time Society membership is requested. Special categories of membership and the appropriate annual Society membership fees shall be as specified in IEEE Bylaws.

2. Affiliates

Non-members of the IEEE who are members of certain other organizations accredited by the IEEE, as provided in IEEE rules and regulations, may become affiliates of the IEEE and members of the Society upon payment of the annual Society membership fee in effect at the time Society membership is requested. Affiliates shall have the same rights and privileges in the Society as IEEE members, and shall be eligible to serve and hold office on any board or committee, with the exception of the offices of President and Vice President of the Society.

3. Member Fees

The annual Society membership fees shall be reviewed each year as part of the Society budget cycle and adjusted to meet Society fiscal needs. The Society Administrative Committee must approve any proposed change in the annual Society membership fees.

4. Affiliate Fees

Affiliates shall pay the same annual Society membership fee as Society members. This fee is in addition to the affiliate surcharge specified in IEEE rules and regulations.

5. Fiscal Year

The administrative and fiscal year for the Society begins on January 1st and ends on December 31st.

6. Administrative Committee

6.1 The Society Administrative Committee shall consist of 15 elected members-at-large, five of whom shall be elected for three-year terms each year from the Society membership in good standing: plus the Society President, Society Vice President, Society Secretary, and Society Treasurer; the immediate past Society President and predecessor; all standing or ad hoc Society technical, advisory, or coordinating committee chairpersons; Society liaison representatives; and Society publication editors, as ex-officio members (unless already elected members-at-large).

6.2 Society Administrative Committee members-at-large may be reelected to one full term after serving one full term. Only two consecutive terms are permitted, but eligibility for reelection is restored after a one-year lapse in service.

6.3 All Society Administrative Committee members, including ex-officio members, shall have voting privileges.

6.4 At its last meeting of even-numbered years, the Society Administrative Committee shall elect a Society President and Society Vice President from a list of eligible candidates consisting of current Society Administrative Committee members-at-large, past Society Administrative Committee members-at-large, and past Society officers. The elected Society President and Society Vice President will serve a two-year term, beginning January 1 of the year following their election. The Society President and Society Vice President are permitted to serve two consecutive two-year terms, and may be reelected after a two-year lapse in service.

6.5 By January 1 of the year following an election, from all Society members in good standing, the Society President shall appoint a Society Secretary, a Society Treasurer, and all Society standing or ad hoc committee chairpersons and members, each of whom are appointed for the current term of the Society President who appointed them. There are no term limits for those serving as Society Secretary, Society Treasurer, Society committee chairperson or Society committee member.

6.6 If an elected member-at-large fails to attend four consecutive meetings of the Society Administrative Committee, the Society Administrative Committee may vote to remove that member-at-large from the Society Administrative Committee, and, in accordance with the Society Constitution, may appoint a successor to serve for the remainder of the term of the removed member-at-large.

6.7 Society officers, Society Administrative Committee members, and Society committee members must be members of the Society in good standing.

6.8 Seven elected members-at-large of the Society Administrative Committee shall constitute a quorum.

6.9 The Society Administrative Committee shall meet at least two, and no more than four, times per year, at times and locations to be determined by the Society President and announced at least 30 days in advance of the meeting.

6.10 The Society Administrative Committee authorizes the creation of the Executive Committee of the Society Administrative Committee, which consists of the current Society officers and the immediate past Society President, and directs the Executive Committee to conduct day-to-day Society business affairs which do not require full Society Administrative Committee review and approval.

7. Nomination and Election of Society Administrative Committee

The Society Administrative Committee shall establish its own procedures for filling vacancies within its ranks.

8. Technical, Advisory, and Coordinating Committees

Standing and or ad hoc Society committees may be established by the Society Administrative Committee as deemed relevant to the Society's special fields of interest.

9. Publications

The Society, through its Society Administrative Committee, may publish Transactions on Broadcasting, newsletters, and other publications related to the fields of interest of the Society.

10. Chapters

Chapters are Society sub-groups organized on a geographical basis. This subject is addressed fully in the IEEE Society Section of the Technical Activities Manual and in the Section Manual.

11. Awards and Fellow Nominations

11.1 The Society Awards Committee is responsible for studying the requirements for IEEE awards and for IEEE Fellow nominations. The Society Awards Committee will solicit recommendations from the Society administrative, technical, advisory, and coordinating committees, Society Chapters, and from Society membership through Society publications. The Awards Committee will prepare recommendation and initiate appropriate actions in support of awards to Society members, and will maintain contact with the IEEE Awards Committee and IEEE Fellows Committee on behalf of the Society.

11.2 The Society Awards Committee shall arrange for suitable awards for excellence of technical content or presentation of contributions published in Transactions on Broadcasting or presented at a Society conference.

12. Disbursements

Disbursements from Society funds credited to the Society after enactment of these Bylaws shall be on the authority of the Society Treasurer as directed by the Society Administrative Committee and in accordance with an approved budget and established procedures and policies of the IEEE. The Society Administrative Committee may authorize the Society Treasurer to disburse funds to defray legitimate expenses incurred by the Society Administrative Committee, the Society Executive Committee, and the Society technical, advisory and coordinating committees.