Market-Driven Consortia: Implications for the FCC's Cable Access Proceeding

Abstract

The paper examines an array of issues regarding the development of standard through both consensus and non-consensus processes. Key areas of inquiry included the growing importance of market-driven consortia (MDCs), potential benefits and problems from use of non-consensus processes, ANSI's review procedures for determining consensus, and OMB Circular A-119 which implements federal policy regarding regulatory use of voluntary standards. The white paper then applied the broad discussions of standards issues to the specific instance of the development, at the FCC's request, of cable modem standards by CableLabs, an MDC organization.

Keywords: ANSI, OMB Circular A-119, NIST, voluntary consensus standards, regulation, procurement