Q: We have had a management change in my company, and my manager has asked me if I would be willing to become a registered communications distribution designer (rcdd). I am a Novell Certified Netware Engineer and have been in the networking business for more than 10 years. In the process, I have designed cable runs and an entire cabling plant. Could you give me some information on the rcdd and point me in the right direction?
William Fariss
Freddie Mac
McLean, VA
A: rcdd is a professional designation offered by bicsi (Tampa, FL).
bicsi is a not-for-profit telecommunications association focused on low-voltage wiring issues. Its mission is to lead the telecommunications industry in the enhancement of quality services and methods around the globe by providing excellent education, promoting skill sharing, and assessing knowledge with professional registration programs.
To apply for your rcdd registration, you must be a current bicsi member, submit an application for approval, and sit for and pass a competency examination.
To sit for the rcdd examination, you must have a minimum of two years` experience in distribution design, including commercial, campus, and multifamily buildings, as well as three letters of reference. One of the letters must come from your current employer, one from a client or customer for whom you have done design work, and one can be a personal reference.
The rcdd examination is a three-hour, multiple-choice test. The primary ref- erence source for the examination is bicsi`s Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual.
The bicsi Executive Offices can give you additional details. The address is: bicsi, 10500 University Center Drive, Suite 100, Tampa, FL 33612-6415. Tel: (800) bicsi 05 or (813) 979-1991; fax: (813) 971 4311; Web address: www.bicsi.org.
Donna Ballast is a communications analyst at the University of Texas at Austin and a bicsi registered communications distribution designer (rcdd). Questions can be sent to her at Cabling Installation & Maintenance or at PO Drawer 7580, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713; tel: (512) 471-0112, fax: (512) 471-8883, e-mail: ballast@utexas.edu.
