FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: 
  January 10, 2000                        Mike Balmoris at (202) 418-0253
                                     Email:    mbalmori@fcc.gov
                 
  
                   COMMON CARRIER ACTION
  
         federal communications commission adopts 
QUALITY wiring standard for connecting Telephone equipment to the
                 telecommunications network
  
New Standard Needed to Ensure that Consumers Have the Best Quality Telephone
       Wiring for the Delivery of Broadband Services
                              
  Washington, D.C.   Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
  established minimum telephone inside wiring quality standards to promote consumer
  access to existing and advanced telecommunications services.  Telephone inside wiring
  refers to wiring located on the customer premises side of the telephone network.  
  
  With the exponential increase in the installation of additional telephone lines to
  accommodate Internet, fax and voice traffic, the Commission recognized the need to
  establish minimum quality standards for telephone inside wiring to ensure consumer access
  to advanced broadband services.  The percentage of additional lines for households with
  telephone service has increased from 3% in 1988 to about 19% in 1997.  
  
  If customers cannot rely on the availability of quality inside wiring to connect to
  advanced broadband services, as well as traditional voiceband services, the deployment of
  these services could be hampered.
   
  Broadband services can be more demanding on inside wiring than traditional voice
  telephony services.  For instance, broadband transmission systems can operate at higher
  power levels and utilize a greater frequency range than traditional voice services, placing
  additional demands on inside wiring.  Poor quality telephone inside wiring can
  substantially degrade the performance of these high-powered broadband technologies, and
  can cause problems in telephone wires that are installed nearby.  Thus, the use of adequate
  quality inside wiring becomes even more important as broadband technology becomes
  more widely deployed in residential and small business installations.   
  
  
  
  
  
  Specifically, the Commission's new rules requires that copper inside wiring
  installed six months after the adoption of these standards be, at a minimum, solid, 24
  gauge or thicker, twisted pairs, marked to indicate compliance with the electrical
  specifications for Category 3, as defined in the ANSI/EIA/TIA Building Wiring Standards.
  
  
  The Commission anticipates that the standard will be adopted by building industry
  organizations, and reflected in local building codes, as well.
        
  Action by the Commission December 21, 1999 by Third Report and Order (FCC
  99-405).  Chairman Kennard, Commissioners Ness, Furchtgott-Roth, Powell and Tristani.
  
  CC Docket No. 88-57
  
                           -FCC-
  
  Common Carrier Bureau contact: 
  Vincent Paladini at (202) 418-2332
  
                              
News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found
         on the Commission's web site www.fcc.gov.