> This is a topical subject. Why can't the standards bodies issue the documents > either free or for a fixed fee, with electronic medium the cost is minuscule.
More and more standards bodies are doing exactly that. ETSI now does and TIA is following suit. However, not everything is "FREE" for everybody. There is an enormous cost associated with the formulation of voluntary specifcations and the processes to get consensus approval for them. Somebody has to pay for all that. Please note that Bellcore is NOT a Standards Body and does not write standards. They produce technical specifications for their clients. Admittedly, those non-standards may be more important to equipment providers than any standards. When one of their clients asks for bids on a product, they may well provide the specification for free. If however, you want to obtain the document for speculative purposes, you probably have to pay. NOTE: The terms "Standard" and "Technical Regulation" are defined terms under the WTO and NAFTA. They mean specific things and you can no longer go around calling every technical specification a standard. A standard is a technicical specification, with which, compliance is voluntary. A technical regulation is a technical specification, with which, compliance is mandated by any level of government. Ciao, Vic
