Face the FACS (Formal worldwide, regional and national Agencies for Communications Standardization)

Ken Krechmer, Fellow, International Center for Standards Research University of Colorado at Boulder; Communications Standards Review

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 10/23/2003)

"Formal worldwide, regional and national Agencies for Communications Standardization" (FACS) such as the International Telecommunications Union and related formal agencies that standardize communications interfaces are losing standardization market share to consortia (any non-accredited standardization organization). This loss of market share has occurred due to the change in technical standardization participation from public carriers (as nominal public representatives) to developers and private service providers. Without the influence of the public over the standardization process, user requirements are being poorly served, as the dramatic drop in the telecom market growth over the last few years may suggest. The change from "public" standardization to private company participation in standardization also reduces the openness of communications standards by increasing IPR costs. This paper proposes a fundamental new approach for the FACS to better address these issues.