FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 09, 2008

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Addresses Safety in Terminal Equipment Testing Guidelines

Standard for Network Security Testing Updated to Account for Potential Hazards

Arlington, VA –The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leader in advocacy, standards development, business development and intelligence for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, has published TIA Bulletin TSB-31-C, Telecommunications, Telephone Terminal Equipment, Rationale and Measurement Guidelines for U.S. Network Protection. TSB-31-C supersedes TSB-31-B.

To protect the wireline telephone network from potential damage from third-party terminal equipment, the FCC’s 47 CFR Part 68 regulations specify safety criteria that the terminal equipment must meet before connecting to the telephone network. 

TSB-31-C updates the standard for testing terminal equipment connecting to the telephone network to ensure that any users or the network itself will not be harmed if the terminal equipment fails.TSB-31-C addresses potential hazards including:

• Electrical hazards to users and network equipment
• Malfunction of the providers’ billing equipment
• Degradation of service to others, besides the subscriber and their calling or called party

TSB-31-C includes additional terminal equipment testing standards for consumer safety, including:

• Degradation of service to others, besides the subscriber and their calling or called party
• Interference with hearing devices
• Volume control on devices with a handset or headset
• Caller ID for telephone facsimile machines
• Access to common carriers
• Automatic dialing and redialing capability
• Line seizure by automatic telephone dialing systems

TIA TSB-31-C was formulated under the cognizance of the TIA TR-41: User Premises Telecommunications Requirements’ TR-41.9 Subcommittee on Technical and Administrative Regulatory Considerations.

TR-41 Committee Member Companies

CSI Telecommunications; Westell Technologies, Inc.; UL Underwriters Laboratories Inc.; Corning Incorporated; Motorola Inc.; Industry Canada; Belden Networks Division; Telcordia Technologies; VTech Communications; Wiltec Technologies; Catena Networks; Dietrich Lockard Group, Inc.; Fluke Networks; CML Microcircuits (USA) Inc.; AST Technology Labs, Inc.; Uniden America Corporation; Tyco Electronics; Broadcom Corporation; FAL Associates; Littelfuse Inc.; ADTRAN; CommScope Network Division; Panasonic Computer Solutions Company; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Thomson Inc.; Ericsson Inc.; EMBARQ Corporation; Intel Corporation; Plantronics; Advent Instruments, Inc.; Intrado; Avaya; Berk-Tek; National Communications System; RTKL Associates Inc.; Maz-Sky Canadian International Group Inc.; U.S. Department of Commerce; Gemalto; Bourns Limited; Telcordia Technologies; Broadcom Corporation; Fultec Semiconductor Inc.; Nortel Networks; Hewlett-Packard (formerly BT&D); Telcordia Technologies; Nokia Siemens Networks; AT&T Labs; 4-WINDS LLP.

To obtain copies of the document, contact IHS, Inc. at 1.800.854.7179 (United States and Canada); +1.303.397.7796 (international) or visit http://global.ihs.com.

For technical information, please contact Ronda Coulter at rcoulter@tiaonline.org. For media inquiries, please contact Mike Snyder: msnyder@tiaonline.org.

About TIA

Currently in its 84th year, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory analysis. TIA enhances the business environment for thousands of companies and individuals whose focus is broadband development and deployment (including wireless and landline infrastructure and services), information technology (IT) for commercial or residential application, Internet Protocol (IP) hardware, software and content solutions, and the convergence of voice, video and data (“triple play”) applications and evolution.

TIA co-owns NXTcomm, the tradeshow serving the ICT industry; is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); serves as the secretariat for the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2); holds Board of Director positions on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) TELECOM and USITO Boards; and hosts the USA pavilions in ITU trade fairs worldwide.

More than 1,100 subject matter experts and other industry leaders participate in TIA’s 70+ standards committees and TIA has produced more than 1,150 standards documents. From mobile and personal communications systems to fiber optics and cabling infrastructure, from vehicular telematics and terrestrial mobile multimedia to healthcare ICT, TIA’s engineering committees work to formulate positions and prepare international standards and reports for use by industry and government.

In government affairs and international trade, hundreds of experts are at the table helping to advance and advocate initiatives on behalf of the industry – projects such as advancing global broadband deployment across wireline, wireless and cable platforms; advocating advanced spectrum management; encouraging policies to enable information access for persons with disabilities; seeking allocation of additional spectrum to advance wireless services and public safety; facilitating market opportunities by promoting full, fair and open trade and competition in international markets; and ensuring that the U.S. communications sector continues to be a leader in advanced research.

On the environmental front, TIA’s EIATRACK subscription-based web service, on the Web at www.eiatrack.com, enables companies to determine up-to-date information on environmental compliance of their products in various regions around the world.

TIA’s Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ACS, ADC, ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, ANDA Networks, ArrayComm, AttivaCorp, Avaya, Bechtel Communications, Inc., Cam Communications, Cisco Systems, Corning Incorporated, Ericsson, Inc., Graybar, Harris Stratex, Henkels & McCoy, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nortel, OneChip Photonics Inc., Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, Tyco Electronics, Ulticom, Inc., Verari Systems, Westell Technologies, Inc. and Zebra Technologies Corporation. Advisors to the Board include FAL Associates, ILS Technology, Orca Systems and Telcordia Technologies.

TIA membership enhances the ability of companies to prepare for the future of communications.  TIA brings people and businesses together by helping the industry overcome technical and political barriers to communications. Visit ##