Codes Exist to Ensure Safety, Quality and Performance
What We Do
CCCA works through, and contributes to, technical committees in standards bodies such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Telecommunications Industries Association (TIA).
Please consult these and other organizations for codes and standards relevant to communications cable and connectivity products. CCCA does not issue, ratify or publish codes and standards for these products, nor does CCCA certify compliance of products to industry accepted codes and standards.
What We Focus On
Safety
Our members collaborate with standards organizations to make products safer and codes clearer.
Some of our recent activities
CCCA Article: Revisions to cable requirements in the 2023 NEC®
- NFPA 70 NEC® / 90A / 75 etc. Code & Standards Revision Contributions
- 2023 NEC® Public Inputs by CCCA
Power over Ethernet (PoE) safety reviews and collaboration amongst industry manufacturers
Quality
Our members work together to advise codes and standards that ensure product quality
Some of our recent activities
- NFPA 70 NEC® / 90A / 75 etc. Code & Standards Revision Contributions
- 2023 NEC® Public Inputs by CCCA
Power over Ethernet (PoE) safety reviews and collaboration amongst industry manufacturers
Performance
As some of the most advanced connectivity manufacturers on earth, our members work with industry organizations that define performance standards.
Some of our recent activities
- NFPA 70 NEC® / 90A / 75 etc. Code & Standards Revision Contributions
- 2023 NEC® Public Inputs by CCCA
Power over Ethernet (PoE) safety reviews and collaboration amongst industry manufacturers
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
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Changes Coming to the 2026 NEC®
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!
Risk, Responsibility and Reputation: What You Need to Know about Non-Compliant Cable
Risk, Responsibility and Reputation: What You Need to Know about Non-Compliant Cable CCCA addresses the safety, performance and liability risks associated with compliance. In recent years, the industry has heard a lot of buzz sur- rounding the risks [...]
INFORM Consumers Act one-page summary
This is a one-page summary of the proposed INFORM Consumers Act in the U.S. Senate.
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: 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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Good Cable / Bad Cable Checklist – What to Look For
What to look for when selecting structured cabling, and when to be suspicious.
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 [...]
Case Study: New York Contractor Encounters Counterfeit Cable
Their customer wanted to provide some less expensive cable they had purchased themselves.
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 [...]
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. [...]
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.
Advisory on Legislative Actions Affecting Contractors for Low Voltage Circuits & Equipment
ADVISORY State Legislative Initiatives to Restrict Low-Voltage Contractors and Integrators From Installing Equipment, Cabling and Infrastructure CCCA is aware of legislative initiatives taking place in multiple States and Jurisdictions that would modify or limit licensed and certified Low-Voltage Contractors [...]
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.
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.
Home Depot Recalls 11 Million Feet of CE Tech Riser Cable Due to Fire Hazard
The Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that consumers should stop using this product, which is being recalled voluntarily. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product. Recalls Home Depot Recalls CE Tech Riser Cable [...]
The INFORM Consumers Act Is Signed into Law
Bipartisan, common-sense legislation to curtail the online sale of stolen and counterfeit products
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
Non-Compliant and Counterfeit Cable: A Risk Too Real to Ignore
In recent years, the industry has heard a good deal of discussion about noncompliant and counterfeit communications cable used for in-building information and communications technology (JCT) infrastructures that support network, security and building automation systems. Much of this has been [...]