CCCA is the voice of the structured cabling industry. Leading manufacturers of cable and connectivity products, distributors and material suppliers have joined together in CCCA to inform, educate and provide thought leadership on vital issues and topics.
The Structured Cable Industry Today
As COVID-19 has changed the way we work, educate and communicate, it is alarmingly clear that telecommunications connectivity is not just essential but critical for the functioning of global society. From telemedicine to commerce to news, awareness, communication, transportation, security, infrastructure and everything in between, connectivity provides the network that enables modern life to go on.
This is why now more than ever it is vital that the products that enable connectivity provide secure, reliable connections between devices and networks. CCCA is devoted to combating counterfeit and non-compliant cable and connectivity components that threaten the network upon which modern life depends.
What is Structured Cabling?
From powering the devices you use every day, to smart building, internet infrastructure, broadband communications and so much more, structured cabling is the backbone of how power and information connects in today’s society.
Our member companies represent all aspects of the structured cabling system
Connectors
The point where cables connect to devices is critical to both the performance and safety of the product.
Data Centers
Data Centers are the backbone of internet and device connectivity. Interconnected by copper and fiber optic cables, switches and servers control how the data you use every day is stored and delivered.
PoE
One of the fastest-growing technologies in the world today, Power Over Ethernet (POE) uses data cables to provide both power and IP connectivity to millions of devices like LED lighting, displays, HVAC, building controls, alarms, locks, WiFi, A/V and so much more.
Materials
The materials used in cables and connectivity are vital to performance and safety of the product.
Copper Cabling
Fiber Optic Cabling
Fiber optic cables comprise the backbone of today’s internet and data networks, and are essential to transmitting large volumes of data at high speeds.
Packaging
Proper packaging of cabling is essential to cable performance and installation efficiency. Knockoff packaging can cause cable damage, knots and tangling.
Our Topics of Expertise
CCCA is actively engaged in identifying counterfeit, sub-standard and non-compliant cables. We inform the industry and lawmakers about their dangers and direct ways to remove them from the market.
Preservation of global resources and environmental stewardship is a CCCA commitment – from the products our members manufacture to the processes and operations at their plants and facilities.
Our goal is to be proactive in maintaining and developing codes and standards to help assure the safety, quality, and performance of communications cable and connectivity products.
A resource for well-researched, fact-based information and education on new technologies in the structured cabling industry.
Hot Topics
In a nutshell, CCCA focuses its mission on “What You Need to Know” to stay abreast and well-informed on topics and issues vital to the structured cabling industry.
Latest News
The National Electrical Code® (NEC®) is getting a much-needed update! While you might worry that the changes could impact your job, ICT Integrator work will be safe and simplified. These changes are actually designed to streamline ICT system design, installation, and inspection for limited-energy Integrators like you!
UL Solutions has recently issued a safety notification (23PN-17) regarding a specific network communication cable that may pose a fire hazard. UL Solutions recommends that this product be removed from service. Learn more details by clicking on Read More to view their press release.
This new way of safely delivering hundreds or even thousands of watts of power over longer distances promises to disrupt the market—in a good way.
WHAT IS FAULT-MANAGED POWER?
Fault-managed power (FMP) systems can have a peak voltage output of up to 450 V with no wattage limit on the power delivered. While these voltage levels are frequently considered dangerous, FMP systems fundamentally differ from power-limited systems in how they mitigate risk of shock and fire. Rather than limiting power at the source, FMP systems are defined by their ability to limit the amount of energy that can go into a fault.
Read this informative article in BICSI’s ICT Today magazine.
The INFORM Consumers Act (Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act) is bipartisan federal legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. It is critical in helping law enforcement, manufacturers, retailers, and online marketplaces of all sizes work together to protect consumers from bad actors peddling counterfeit and stolen goods.
Why has CCCA supported this bill?
As part of a coalition from several industries to support this bill since 2021, CCCA has testified to Congress about the proliferation of counterfeit communications cable on the market that is sold through online retailers. Many companies selling communication cables online don’t list any information for the consumer to contact them, which is incredibly distressing when a consumer discovers it is counterfeit or non-compliant cable. It is even more upsetting when the buyer/consumer realizes the danger of counterfeit communications cable.
“The illegal sales of counterfeits, knockoffs, falsified products and other intellectual property infringing items not only damages legitimate U.S. businesses but also fuels other illicit crimes and poses significant safety risks for all consumers,” said David Kiddoo, the executive director of the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association.
Read the article from the Washington Examiner about the INFORM Consumer Act.
CCCA announces the election of new officers. Brian Ensign, VP Marketing of Superior Essex, was elected as CCCA Chairman, Jeff Hofstetter of Wesco, Secretary and James Malkemus of Prysmian, Treasurer. Joining the officers on the Executive Committee are Neil Wilkin of OCC and Eric von Brockdorff of Chemours.
Brian Ensign follows Eric Lawrence, of Berk-Tek, a Leviton Company, who was CCCA chairman since 2014. “I look forward to serving as CCCA’s next Chairman and building on the successes of past Chairmen who guided CCCA to where it is today,” states Ensign. “My goal is to continue a tradition of growth by broadening our educational programs on new technology and supporting CCCA initiatives that strengthen the quality and integrity of our industry. We must continue our anti-counterfeit efforts and educational programs to stem the constant influx of low-quality cable and connectivity products, which present a serious public safety hazard.”
It has long been known that twisted-pair copper cabling is one standards-based option for connecting devices beyond 100 m, but there is confusion in the industry about the distances that twisted-pair copper cables can reliably support at various transmission speeds and remote powering levels. To strategically address scenarios where a device is located beyond 100 m with reduced risk, ICT professionals need to understand the pros and cons of the various options, technical factors involved, and key considerations surrounding testing to help them identify reality and navigate claims.
This article is intended to provide the reader with a guide to the key changes in the 2023 National Electrical Code that are of interest to manufacturers, installers, distributors and users of Class 1, 2, 3 & 4, communications, fire alarm and optical fiber cables.
The National Electrical Code® (NEC®) is published by the National Fire Protection Association with revisions on a three-year schedule. The 2023 NEC, which replaces the 2020 NEC, will be issued by NFPA in August 2022.
This article discusses various technology advancements that have paved the way to next-generation fiber implementations in the data center, standards-based approaches to 400 Gig, and the impact on fiber connectivity.
It also discusses ongoing developments in optical transceiver technology and applications standards for imminent 800 Gig and future Terabit applications and how they may potentially further impact fiber connectivity in the future.
Purchasers, specifiers, installers and inspectors of telecommunication cables placed in risers or plenums during building construction or upgrade must be aware that cables that do not meet safety requirements present a significant risk of hastening the spread of fire. This represents an unacceptable risk — and avoidable hazard — to building occupants and owners.
Structured cabling in the data center can help enterprise business thrive coming out of the pandemic
This article takes a look at how recent data center trends and the impact of COVID-19 are fueling the need for high-speed, low-latency connections and fast, flexible and cost-effective data center expansion. It examines why and how enterprise business is shifting to more privately hosted IT workloads via hyperconverged techniques and why this approach requires structured cabling.
While data center growth was already expected to continue increasing over the next decade, the COVID-19 pandemic is now changing the way people live and work and the way the world does business, further driving data center expansion. Data centers are needing to quickly add more capacity to support remote IT capabilities, enhanced e-commerce, increased video streaming and gaming, and a greater need for applications like telemedicine, distance learning and online collaboration. And they’re focusing heavily on connectivity to do so.
Click Read More for CCCA’s article in Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine.
The evolution and growth of applications and new technologies are driving the need for high-performance and high-value cable, a crucial infrastructure necessity which is often overlooked or thought of as a “commodity”. Today’s critical applications require 100% reliability and ever higher data transmission rates over this cable, now with the added duty of Powering over Ethernet (PoE), also coined “Power over Everything” in smart building applications. Pushing power over the same conductors as data can also increase heat within the cable, potentially causing signal degradation and a fire hazard if inferior cabling is installed.
Click Read More for CCCA’s article in Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine.
The convergence of previously separate cabling systems is adding new dimensions to cabling performance and safety requirements, as is evidenced by revisions to the National Electrical Code (NEC®) starting with the 2017 edition and continuing with the 2020 edition.
CCCA is part of an industry consortium supporting the effort to generate the SHOP SAFE Act in the U.S. House of Representatives and the INFORM Consumers Act in the Senate. These two pieces of legislation aim to fight the sale of counterfeit and unsafe products via online retailers.
We are happy to report that the INFORM Consumers Act legislation is about to be voted on in the Senate. We urge you to contact your U.S. Senator to express your support!
The legislation is to combat the online sale of stolen, counterfeit, and dangerous consumer products by requiring verification of third-party sellers on online retail marketplaces. INFORM is an acronym for Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers.
Click below to read CCCA’s press release, which explains why this legislation is so crucial to our industry. A link to a one-page summary of the legislation is included in the release.
This Cabling Installation & Maintenance article by Stan Kaufman explains in more detail the key changes that are of interest to manufacturers, installers, distributors, and users of communications cable.
The National Fire Protection Association has published the 2020 National Electrical Code® (NEC®).
CCCA has summarized several changes that are important to the communications cable industry.
This paper takes a look at the current trends in data center architecture to support high-speed, low-latency performance, as well as advancements in technology and ensuing standards developments that are driving 25, 50 and 100 Gb/s server connections in both the enterprise and cloud/hyperscale data center environment. While there is no single infrastructure design for every data center, the current trends and developments make it clear that modern data center environments will benefit from the use of standards-based fiber optic structured cabling.
Click Read More for CCCA’s article in Mission Critical Magazine. Click here for a Free Video Presentation on the topic. Click Read More for the article in Mission Critical magazine.
Earlier this year, UL issued a Public Notice for a Cat 6 bulk CMR “Riser” communications cable that did not comply with the fire safety certification requirements of the NFPA-70® National Electrical Code®. These are the backbone cables installed in the vertical spaces of buildings, that could potentially serve as a pathway / fuse to spread an evolving fire from floor to floor. The UL Public Notice was issued on February 28, 2020.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) conducts their own independent investigations. They are copied on all UL Public Notices and determined to investigate this nonconformance. Noting that this cable poses a fire hazard when the cable is exposed to a flame, CPSC states that consumers should immediately stop using and replace the recalled cable. The CPSC recall, dated September 16, 2020, can be viewed at: