James Darnell, rcdd
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
I wonder about Mysteries No. 1 and 2 [Why doesn`t the FCC enforce its EMI regulations, and what ever happened to low-cost fiber-optic transceivers?] myself. As for Mystery No. 3 [Who has the purchasing influence in the cabling industry?], I think the end-users ultimately have the purchasing influence.
Mystery No. 4 [Why are electricians setting fiber-optic installation standards?] raises a very important issue that more people in the communications industry need to become involved in. This battle between the communications industry and the electrical industry--primarily the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (ibew)--is a serious one.
The ibew in several states is trying to lobby for legislation to get licensing for voice, data, and video copper-wire and fiber-optic installations limited to electricians. To those of us who understand the industry, this is, of course, ludicrous. Unfortunately, the politicians do not always know any better. There are organizations like bicsi (and others) that are fighting this trend. However, everyone with influence should be contacting legislators and educating them about this issue. Some very qualified communications contractors could soon find themselves out of business otherwise.
