Why aren all TIA and EIA standards free?
The standards development process costs a great deal of money. This fact is not new, but a good portion of standards users fail to understand the many steps required to provide them with the standards that they so eagerly desire. There are significant expenses other than the cost of printing and distributing hardcopy documents. Much like the United Way or any other volunteer organization, standards developers spend time and resources on coordinating the efforts of volunteers in the development process. From the moment a standards project is initiated through its arrival on a user’s desk (or computer screen), funds are spent on testing, materials, meetings, distribution of draft documents, balloting and adoption of the initial project as a standard. Every five years, a standard must be revised, reaffirmed or withdrawn to address current technology. All these activities require a full-time staff employed by the Standards Development Organization (SDO). While some organizations can operat
