FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2008

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) Urges EPA to Exempt Telephony Products From Inapplicable Rules

ENERGY STAR® Standby Usage Requirements Should Not Apply to Devices That Are Never in Standby Mode, Says TIA

Washington, D.C. –The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leader in advocacy, standards development, business development and intelligence for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, today urged the EPA to clarify that new ENERGY STAR® Telephony “No-Load” rules are inapplicable and irrelevant to telephony products such as cordless telephones, answering machines, and combination cordless phones and answering machines.

TIA called upon the EPA to adopt its own proposal to ensure that external power supply (EPS) units used with ENERGY STAR®-qualified telephony products would not be required to meet ENERGY STAR® energy consumption requirements of 0.3 or 0.5 watts when in standby or “No-Load” mode (No-Load requirements).  Most telephony products use EPS converting AC to DC electrical voltage with a nameplate power that is typically rated between 4 to 7 watts.  Thus, the EPS used with many telephony products will not meet the No-Load requirements.

However, TIA noted, the new EPA requirements do not take into account the fact that cordless telephones, answering systems, and combination units are never in standby/No-Load mode.  Such products continuously monitor telephone networks for incoming telephone calls and/or monitor radio links to cordless handsets.  Thus, TIA argued, the EPS No-Load requirements currently imposed are inapplicable to cordless phones, answering machines, and combination cordless phones and answering machines.  TIA stated that the EPA must and will clarify, through its proposal, that the No-Load requirements cannot be applied to cordless phones, answering machines, and combination cordless phones and answering machines.

“TIA applauds the EPA for proposing a policy that will appropriately eliminate the ENERGY STAR® No-Load requirements for cordless phones, answering machines, and combination cordless phones and answering machines,” said Danielle Coffey, TIA Vice President of Government Affairs.  “Our members, many of whom manufacture these products, should not be burdened by EPA regulations which, when applicable, are of great benefit, but are inapplicable to many of our members’ products and are therefore of no benefit.  The EPA’s proposal strikes the important balance of protecting resources and applying regulations only when appropriate from a technology standpoint,” Coffey added.

For more information, please contact Patrick Sullivan at psullivan@tiaonline.org. 

About TIA

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, tradeshows, business opportunities, market intelligence and world-wide environmental regulatory analysis. With roots dating back to 1924, TIA enhances the business environment for broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite and unified communications. Members’ products and services empower voice, video and data communications in every industry and market, including healthcare, education, security, public safety, transportation, government, the military, the environment and entertainment.

TIA co-owns SUPERCOMM (formerly NXTcomm), the ICT industry tradeshow that showcases the business and technology solutions enabled by advanced broadband services and applications; 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 3,000 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 foster and promote 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 eiatrack.com, enables companies to track up-to-date information on environmental regulations around the world. TIA’s e-cyclingcentral.com service lists recycling centers for electronics in every state of the U.S. Finally, TIA standards have fostered green practices and TIA is continuing to work on ways to reduce carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency within the ICT industry.

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, Henkels & McCoy, ILS Technology, Intel Corporation, LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, 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, 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 tiaonline.org for details.

 

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