Counterfeiting and Non-Compliance
Those who design, install and use structured cabling systems have a right to expect uncompromised quality, performance and safety. Counterfeit or non-compliant cable and connectivity products are eroding that right and present a formidable challenge.
CCCA’s Role in Fighting Counterfeit and Non-Compliant Products
CCCA leads the fight to confront counterfeit and non-compliant ICT products. Through testing programs, educational initiatives and screening tools, CCCA alerts and educates the industry on the dangers of counterfeit cable and, more importantly, how to avoid being misled by deceptive labels and marketing practices. CCCA’s anti-counterfeiting efforts include close collaboration with independent testing agencies, U.S. Customs and law enforcement.
Non-Compliant vs. Counterfeit – What’s the Difference?
Non-Compliant Cables
If a cable bears no certification mark but is marketed and advertised as meeting applicable codes and standards specifications (e.g. Category XX or CM, CMR, CMP fire safety rating), then the cable may be correctly described as “NON-COMPLIANT”.
Counterfeit Cables
If a cable or product falsely bears a name or brand that is descriptive of the product that was not produced by that manufacturer, then the cable may be described as “COUNTERFEIT”. For example, a Rolex watch not made by Rolex, but by a manufacturer not authorized to use the Rolex name or mark, which are property rights belonging to Rolex.
If a cable bears an unauthorized certification mark (e.g. UL or ETL), then the cable is counterfeit as to the mark. The cable may be described as “BEARING COUNTERFEIT CERTIFICATION” or “COUNTERFEIT MARK”.
How to Identify Counterfeit and Non-Compliant Cables
Why You Need to Know
There is a huge amount of non-compliant, counterfeit and underperforming cable currently being sold on the market. While majority of this cable is being sold via online distributors, ultimately it is the purchaser and installer that bears the responsibility for the product.
Thus, anyone who uses structured cabling must be aware of what they are installing, aware of the risks of using “bad” cable, and understand how they could be liable if something goes wrong.
Non-compliant and substandard cabling poses a health and safety risk in today’s increasingly digital society.
Use CCCA CableCheck App
CCCA CableCheck™ App
A Convenient Field Screening Tool for Checking Suspicious Cable
Helps identify and avoid non-compliant and counterfeit communications cable
- Screen 4-pair UTP communications cable for compliance to National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements for fire safety
- Validate Certification in UL Product iQ™ database
- Link to ETL website to check ETL Listing
- Learn what to look for to spot non-compliant cable with the 7 Quick Tips
- Learn the danger of non-compliant or counterfeit cable by viewing CCCA’s Cable Burn Test video
Available FREE for iPhone, iPad and Android Devices
Click on the logos to link to CCCA’s CableCheck in the App Store or Google Play
Or download from your device right away using the appropriate QR Code
Developed in cooperation with Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and U.S. Customs & Homeland Security
For designers, installers, inspectors and end-users of UTP communications cables
Topic Resources
CCCA Provides the industry with a wide variety of resources to educate and inform. From videos to articles to white papers, we encourage everyone interacting with cable and connectivity to refer to these resources when making buying or installation decisions.
Articles and Resources
INFORM Consumers Act – Washington Examiner article 6-2023
Big Tech market platforms now required to prevent thieves from reselling goods "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 [...]
The INFORM Consumers Act Is Signed into Law
Bipartisan, common-sense legislation to curtail the online sale of stolen and counterfeit products
Attention! Warning Signs of Bad Cable
Non-compliant and counterfeit cabling pose significant risks to health and safety, and could cause major damage to critical infrastructure. Use this 2-page flyer as a handy reference on what to avoid.
Revisions to cable requirements in the 2023 National Electrical Code®
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 [...]
2023 National Electrical Code® – Revisions to Cable Requirements
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, was issued by NFPA in August 2022. This article was originally published as [...]
Plenum and Riser Communications Cables-Importance of Certification by an NRTL
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 [...]
SHOP SAFE Act – One-page Summary
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 [...]
Legislation to Protect Consumers Online to Help Our Industry
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 [...]
White Paper: Part I, Potential Liabilities For Contractors Installing Building Communications Cables That Violate National Electrical Code Requirements
The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (“CCCA”) has found that certain imported communications cable does not comply with National Electrical Code (“NEC”) standards. Contractors that install this non-compliant cable, whether known to the contractor or not, may be exposed to [...]
White Paper: Part II, Potential Liability for Contractors Installing or Manufacturers Marketing Falsely Labeled Copper Clad Aluminum Cable
CCCA has discovered that certain four pair unshielded twisted pair communications cables made with copper clad aluminum conductors (“4 pr. UTP copper clad aluminum cable”) are being improperly labeled and marketed. These cables are being sold as “category” cable [...]
INFORM Consumers Act one-page summary
This is a one-page summary of the proposed INFORM Consumers Act in the U.S. Senate.
INFORM Consumers Act: News Release
CCCA endorses and recommends the passage of legislation to protect consumers from counterfeit and stolen products sold online. This urgently needed INFORM Consumers Act will bring greater transparency and accountability to dominant online marketplaces.
Raising the Bar on Patch Cord Performance in the Real World
This paper examines patch cord field performance problems relating to the 8-pin modular connector and cable assembly construction in general. Applicable standards such as ANSI/TIA-1096, IEC 60603-7, and IEC 60512-99-001 are reviewed. Compliance and verification issues and how they relate [...]
Local Area Network (LAN) Cable Performance Testing for Patch Cords
Performance Verification for Category 5e, 6 & 6A Patch Cords In addition to UL’s Channel and Permanent Link performance testing, UL offers Patch Cord performance (verification) testing. Patch Cord performance is critical to the quality of system performance and data [...]
What to Specify When Buying Safe, Performing Patch Cords
As we have reported previously, over 80% of patch cords surveyed in the market, primarily from off-shore suppliers, failed to meet the performance specifications of ANSI/TIA-568-C.2. In these tests, almost half of the non-compliant samples failed 568-C.2 requirements by at [...]
2020 NFPA Codes and Standards – News Flash
This News Flash highlights several changes in the 2020 National Electrical Code® (NEC) published by the National Fire Protection Association.
How Smart Infrastructure Can Become Dangerously Dumb
The evolution and growth of applications and new technologies are driving the need for high-performance and high-value cable, a crucial infrastructure necessity that is often overlooked or thought of as a “commodity”. Today’s critical applications require 100% reliability and ever [...]
Testing by CCCA Finds High Failure Rate in Electrical Performance of Imported Category 6 Copper Patch Cords
Testing by CCCA Finds High Failure Rate in Electrical Performance of Imported Category 6 Copper Patch Cords The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) announced that it recently completed large-scale, electrical performance testing of Category 6 copper patch cords. Test [...]
2 Simple Ways to Comply with the 2020 NEC
As the number of applications utilizing Power over Ethernet (PoE) technologies continues to grow, 4-pair cables are increasingly being used to transmit both data and power, adding new dimensions to cabling performance and safety requirements.
Presentation: Counterfeit and Non-Compliant Communications Cable
This presentation covers what you need to know about counterfeit and non-compliant communications cable, what CCCA is doing about it, and what you can do to protect yourself, the customer and the public.
Fluke Application Note: Copper Clad Aluminum (CCA) Cables
The existence of non-standards compliant, and often counterfeit, cabling products in the market can present serious problems for the companies using them, as well as the cabling installers and engineers who place these products within their customers’ network environments. [...]
Case Study: New York Contractor Encounters Counterfeit Cable
Their customer wanted to provide some less expensive cable they had purchased themselves.
Don’t Stint on Cables
As security, communication and automation technology advances, more data is being sent over twisted-pair cabling. As in any popular market, counterfeits and knockoffs are a problem for the cable products industry. Read ways to protect yourself and your business in this article [...]
Good Cable / Bad Cable Checklist – What to Look For
What to look for when selecting structured cabling, and when to be suspicious.
Impact of Copper Clad Aluminum Conductors Within Balanced Pair Cables
This paper by the Fiberoptic Industry Association (FIA) reviews the implications of using low cost imported products that claim to be “Category 5” or “Category 5e” using Copper Clad Aluminium (CCA) conductors. This document supports many others prepared by [...]