Telecommunications Industry Association
TR41.9.1-08-02-005
Document Cover Sheet
Project Number
PN-3-0016-RV2 (to become TIA-968-B)
Document Title
Recommendations concerning TTE Component Approval.
Source
Verizon
Contact
Trone Bishop
13100 Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Distribution
TR-41.9.1, at February meeting in New Orleans LA
Intended Purpose
of Document
(Select one)
X
Phone: 301-236-3754
Email: trone.t.bishop.jr@verizon.com
For Incorporation Into TIA Publication
For Information
Other (describe) Notices
The document to which this cover statement is attached is submitted to a Formulating Group or subelement thereof of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in accordance with the provisions
of Sections 6.4.1–6.4.6 inclusive of the TIA Engineering Manual dated March 2005, all of which
provisions are hereby incorporated by reference.
This document has been prepared by Verizon to assist TIA Engineering Committee TR-41. It is proposed
to the TR41.9 subcommittee as a basis for discussion and is not to be construed as a binding proposal on
Verizon. Verizon specifically reserves the right to amend or modify the material contained herein and
nothing herein shall be construed as conferring or offering licenses or rights with respect to any
intellectual property of Verizon other than provided in the copyright statement above.
Abstract
Section 9 of TIA TSB-129-A contains information about Telephone Terminal Equipment
component approval. Component approval is supported by the ACTA labeling requirements
document, TSB-168-B, but there is no information pertaining to component approval in 47 C.F.R.
68, TIA-968-A, TSB-31-C, the ACTA submission guidelines, or the ACTA customer information
requirements. This contribution recommends that an ad hoc group be formed to develop text
supporting component approval for inclusion in TIA-968-B.
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Telecommunications Industry Association
TR41.9.1-08-02-005
The component approval process is described in TSB-129-A.
TIA-129-A is the only industry document that describes telephone terminal equipment (TTE)
component approval. In section 9, TSB-129-A lays down the conditions under which component
approval may be used. The word “shall” appears 15 times and the word “must” appears 36 times.
The problem is that TSB-129-A is a TIA telecommunications systems bulletin (TSB) and TIA
does not allow TSBs to be used to delineate any requirements. When TSB-129-A is revised in
2008 or 2009, all of the “shalls” and “musts” will have to be removed.
Hence, the authority for component approval needs to be moved to some document other than
TSB-129-A. It is okay for TSB-129-A to explain component approval and give suggestions
regarding component approval, but it cannot be used to establish the official ground rules
pertaining to component approval. Some other authority needs to do that such as the FCC in 47
C.F.R. 68, an SDO in TIA-968-B, or the ACTA in its submission guidelines.
The component approval process is being used by the industry.
The “CE” and “CN” equipment codes have been defined in Annex A of TSB-168-B for
component approval. TSB-168-B defines the CE equipment code as being for a computer-based
card not containing network interface circuitry which is designed to connect to a computer based
card with the CN equipment code. The CN equipment code is for a computer-based card
providing network interface circuitry.
The ACTA TTE database contains 59 and 148 registrations that use the CE and CN equipment
codes respectively. This indicates that the component approval process is being used by the
industry.
Conclusion
The TTE component approval process is being used by the industry. The authorizing document is
TSB-129-A, but TIA does not allow TSBs to be used to delineate any requirements. Thus, the
component approval specifications in section 9 of TSB-129-A need to be moved to another
document such as TIA-968-B.
Recommendation
This contribution recommends that TR41.9.1 form an ad hoc group of interested parties to meet
via e-mail and conference calls to develop text for TIA-968-B that supports component approval.
Such text would explain the circumstances under which a limited set of technical criteria could be
applied to components rather than the full set of technical criteria in TIA-968-B. The ad hoc
group would review the component approval text in section 9 of TSB-129-A and extract any text
suitable for TIA-968-B and provide a contribution at the next meeting showing how this
information may be folded into TIA-968-B.
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