United States National Committee of the IEC
USNC Current — Summer 2026 Newsletter
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Social Responsibility
“A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” 1884 / Georges Seurat
The Association Française de Normalisation (AFNOR), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member body for France, has submitted to ISO a proposal for a new field of ISO technical activity on Social Responsibility, with the following scope statement:
Standardization in the field of Social Responsibility to provide guidance and framework to all types of organizations, regardless of their size, activity or location. It allows organizations to challenge their own practices, define their corporate social responsibility and thus devise strategies to enhance their contribution to sustainable development.
Anyone wishing to review the proposal can request a copy by contacting ANSI’s ISO Team (isot@ansi.org), with a submission of comments to Steve Cornish (scornish@ansi.org) by close of business on Friday, June 5, 2020
We maintain all commenting opportunities on ISO consensus products on the standing agenda of our Global teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Miami Dade Schools Childrens Chorus
At the moment, we find only a few ISO consensus products incorporated by reference into the best practice literature that affects the cost of US education communities. It is wise to follow the action, however, because these products can inform higher level policy pronouncements. We maintain all ISO consensus products on the standing agenda of our Global teleconferences. See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.
Issue: [20-126]
Category: Academic
Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Christine Fischer
Source: ANSI Standards Action
LEARN MORE:
ANSI Accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) to ISO
The MOOC BA, a New Frontier for Internationalization
“The Bay of Naples with Vesuvius in the Background” c. 1872 | Oswald Achenbach
The MOOC BA, a New Frontier for Internationalization
Valentina Reda – Ruth Kerr
Abstract. The early attraction of MOOCs was global reach and global branding to bolster university reputation and increase student enrollments from home and abroad, leading to a scenario marked by high numbers of HE Institutions with a low number of high-investment MOOCs. Recent emerging trends show a move towards online degrees, essentially postgraduate, which involves the big MOOC providers and universities positioning themselves to capture a growing market of lifelong learners through a broader portfolio of diversified credentials. The core business of curricular education verified by a degree, however, is only just being touched by the MOOC revolution, with very few – though significant – experiences. This paper proposes a policy framework for a MOOC strategy for bachelors degrees at the University of Naples, Federico II, which encompasses policy issues regarding funding, organization and governance.
CLICK ON IMAGE
Aperçu | Whatever Happened to MOOCs?
The massive open online courses that promised to transform higher education during the 2010s have not disappeared. They have evolved into a global market for professional certificates, microcredentials and online degrees. Coursera alone reported approximately 197 million registered learners at the end of 2025. Yet the original promise of universally free university education has given way to subscription services and paid credentials. The University of Naples Federico II was among the European institutions exploring how online instruction could extend the international reach of higher education. A decade later, the distinction between exporting instruction and exporting the residential university remains important. Digital platforms can transmit knowledge across national borders without requiring the migration of students or the construction of additional campus infrastructure.
CLICK HERE to order complete paper from IEEE
Underground
Part 3 — Safety Rules for the Installation and Maintenance of Underground Electric Supply and Communication Lines of the National Electrical Safety Code establishes safety requirements for underground electric supply and communication systems, including cables, conduits, ducts, vaults, manholes and associated equipment.
Its principal concerns are location, burial, mechanical protection, separation and accessibility. The rules address underground structures, direct-buried cables, supply and communication cables occupying common spaces, crossings with other utilities and protection against foreseeable excavation or physical damage. Part 3 also covers grounding and bonding, cable identification, work space and provisions intended to make underground systems safe for both workers and the public.
Particular attention is given to manholes and vaults, including access, drainage, ventilation where required and arrangements that reduce hazards from energized equipment, fire or accumulated gases.
For universities and other large educational settlements, Part 3 governs much of the infrastructure that is seldom visible: campus primary distribution, duct banks, utility tunnels and vaults, roadway crossings, telecommunications pathways and transitions between overhead and underground lines.
Underground Electrotechnology
Pacific Lutheran University
Best practice literature to be covered in our 11 AM session today are listed below. These codes and standards ensure safety, reliability, and compliance for underground electrical and telecommunications installations:
- National Electrical Code (NEC), NFPA 70
- Relevance: The NEC, published by the National Fire Protection Association, is the primary standard for safe electrical installations in the U.S. Articles 300 (Wiring Methods), 310 (Conductors for General Wiring), and 230 (Services) cover underground wiring, including burial depths, conduit requirements, and direct-burial cables like Type UF and USE-2. For example, NEC 300.5 specifies minimum cover depths (e.g., 24 inches for direct-burial cables, 18 inches for PVC conduit).
- Key Aspects: Rules for conductor protection, grounding, GFCI requirements, and conduit types (e.g., Schedule 80 PVC). Adopted by most U.S. jurisdictions with local amendments.
ANSI/TIA-568 Series (Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standards)
- Relevance: Governs low-voltage telecommunications cabling, including underground installations. TIA-568.2-D (Balanced Twisted-Pair) and TIA-568.3-D (Optical Fiber) specify performance requirements for cables like Cat6 and fiber optics, including maximum distances (e.g., 100 meters for twisted-pair).
- Key Aspects: Ensures signal integrity, proper separation from high-voltage lines, and compliance for plenum or direct-burial-rated cables. Voluntary unless mandated by local codes.
IEEE 835 (Standard Power Cable Ampacity Tables)
- Relevance: Provides ampacity ratings for underground power cables, critical for sizing conductors to prevent overheating.
- Key Aspects: Includes data for direct-burial and ducted installations, considering soil thermal resistivity and ambient conditions. Often referenced alongside NEC for high-current applications.
UL 83 (Standard for Thermoplastic-Insulated Wires and Cables)
- Relevance: Underwriters Laboratories standard for wires like THWN-2, commonly used in underground conduits. Ensures cables meet safety and performance criteria for wet locations.
- Key Aspects: Specifies insulation durability, temperature ratings, and suitability for direct burial or conduit use. NEC requires UL-listed cables for compliance.
OSHA 1910.305 (Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment)
- Relevance: U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard for workplace electrical safety, including underground installations in industrial settings.
- Key Aspects: Specifies approved wiring methods (e.g., armored cable, conduit) and enclosure requirements for underground cable trays or boxes. Focuses on worker safety during installation and maintenance.
CSA C22.1 (Canadian Electrical Code)
- Relevance: Canada’s equivalent to the NEC, governing underground electrical installations. Similar to NEC but tailored to Canadian conditions and regulations.
- Key Aspects: Defines burial depths, conduit types, and grounding requirements. For example, low-voltage cables (<30V) require 6-inch burial depth, like NEC.
Notes:
- Regional Variations: Always consult local building authorities, as codes like the NEC or AS/NZS 3000 may have amendments. For example, some U.S. states reduce burial depths for GFCI-protected circuits (NEC 300.5).
- Low-Voltage vs. High-Voltage: Standards like TIA-568 and ISO/IEC 11801 focus on low-voltage (e.g., <50V) telecommunications, while NEC and IEC 60364 cover both power and telecom.
- Practical Compliance: Before installation, call 811 (U.S.) or equivalent to locate underground utilities, and obtain permits/inspections as required by local codes.
- Critical Examination: While these standards are authoritative, they can lag behind technological advancements (e.g., new cable types like GameChanger exceeding TIA-568 limits). Over-reliance on minimum requirements may limit performance for cutting-edge applications.
Underground Electrotechnology General Conditions and Standard Details
Related:
Wires
Ampere current flows through copper or aluminum conductor due to the movement of free electrons in response to an applied electric field of varying voltages. Each copper or aluminum contributes one free electron to the electron sea, creating a vast reservoir of mobile charge carriers. When a potential difference (voltage) is applied across the ends of the conductor, an electric field is established within the conductor. This field exerts a force on the free electrons, causing them to move in the direction of the electric field. The resulting current flow can be transformed into different forms depending on the nature of the device.
Heating: When current flows through a resistor, it encounters resistance, which causes the resistor to heat up. This is the principle behind electric heaters, toasters, and incandescent light bulbs.
Mechanical Work: Current flowing through an electric motor creates a magnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field of the motor’s permanent magnets or electromagnets. This interaction generates a mechanical force, causing the motor to rotate. Thus, electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy; including sound.
Light: In an incandescent light bulb, a filament heats up ( a quantum phenomena) due to the current passing through it. This is an example of electrical energy being converted into light energy; including the chemical energy through light emitting diodes
Today we dwell on how conductors are specified and installed in building premise wiring systems primarily; with some attention to paths designed to carry current flowing through unwanted paths (ground faults, phase imbalance, etc). In the time we have we will review the present state of the best practice literature developed by the organizations listed below:
International Electrotechnical Commission
60304 Low voltage installations: Protection against electric shock
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
National Electrical Safety Code
Insulated Cable Engineers Association
International Association of Electrical Inspectors
National Fire Protection Association
Transcript of CMP-6 Proposals for 2026 NEC
Other organizations such as the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, ASTM International, Underwriter Laboratories, also set product and installation standards. Data center wiring; fiber-optic and low-voltage control wiring is covered in other colloquia (e.g. Infotech and Security) and coordinated with the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee.
Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.
Related:
National Electrical Code: 310.15(B) Temperature Correction Factors
Neher-McGrath Calculation: Cable Calculation ampacity and Thermal Analysis
Voltage Drop Calculation Example
ETAP: Cabling Sizing – Cable Thermal Analysis
2029 National Electrical Code
Public input on the 2029 Revision will be received until April 9th. Over the next weeks and months — typically meeting twice a day every Tuesday — we will pull forward our previous proposals and draft original proposals relevant to the education and healthcare electrotechnical infrastructure of educational settlements. Link to Proposed Reorganization.
NFPA 70 2029 Revision Mike Anthony IEEE and Standards Michigan public input April 2026
Photo at 2723 State Street Office*
Mike was part of the National Electrical Code Quarter Century Club but was at another conference and not able to receive the award at the June conference. University of Michigan support began in 1993. IEEE support began in 2014.
*New Office (a short walk across the street) starting October 1: 455 East Eisenhower, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Current Issues and Recent Research
Today we examine Second Draft transcripts of the Special Equipment Chapter 6 (CMP-12) and product inspection, testing and certification listings that appear Annex A (CMP-1).
Once every eighteen months we spend a week drilling into the National Electrical Code by submitting new proposals or comments on proposed revisions. Today we review the actions taken by the technical committees on the First Draft. Responses to committee actions will be received until August 26th.
Interconnected Electric Power Production Sources “Microgrids”
Intellectual Property
It is impossible to overestimate the sensitivity of this topic but poke at it, we will. At the moment, the less written here; the better. Much of this domain is outside our wheelhouse; though it has settled on a few first principles regarding patents, trademarks and copyrights relevant to the user-interest we describe in our ABOUT.
Many large research universities have a watchdog guarding its intellectual property and trying to generate income from it, and; of course, for branding. We will dwell on salient characteristics of the intellectual property domain with which we reckon daily — highlighting the market actors and the standards they have agreed upon.
Additionally, technical standards developers are generally protected by copyright law, as the standards they create are typically considered original works of authorship that are subject to copyright protection. In the United States, the Copyright Act of 1976 provides copyright protection for original works of authorship, which includes technical standards. This means that the developers of technical standards have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and create derivative works based on their standards, and others must obtain permission or a license to use or reproduce the standards.
Some technical standards may be subject to certain exemptions or limitations under copyright law. In the United States, there is a doctrine called “fair use” that allows for limited use of copyrighted works for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, without the need for permission or a license from the copyright owner. Almost everything we do at Standards Michigan falls under the fair use doctrine. This is why we have no search feature and most pages are protected. If we err in this; let us know.
More
- Patent Act: This is the primary federal law governing patents in the United States. It sets forth the requirements for obtaining a patent, the rights of patent owners, and the remedies available for infringement.
- The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 and the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 prohibit anticompetitive behavior in the marketplace, including the use of codes and standards to exclude competition.
- Title 37 of the Code of Federal Regulations: This contains the rules and procedures related to patents, including rules governing the filing and examination of patent applications.
- America Invents Act: This is a major overhaul of the U.S. patent system that was enacted in 2011. It includes provisions such as the transition to a “first-inventor-to-file” system and the creation of new post-grant review procedures for challenging the validity of patents.
- Manual of Patent Examining Procedure: This is a guidebook for patent examiners that provides detailed information on the rules and procedures for examining patent applications.
- Everett Rogers: Diffusion of innovations
- Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17)
ASTM International Intellectual Property Policy
Healthcare Standards Institute IP Policy
International Code Council Copyright Protection
Underwriters Laboratory Patent Policy
Vad är en standard? Syftet med standarder är att skapa enhetliga och transparenta rutiner som vi kan enas kring. Det ligger ju i allas intresse att höja kvaliteten, undvika missförstånd och slippa uppfinna hjulet på nytt varje gång. https://t.co/zKhgPXPdpW pic.twitter.com/oKejdKSm47
— Svenska institutet för standarder, SIS (@svenskstandard) July 15, 2019
Innovation – Market Acceptance – Standardization – Human Right
2026 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (Results)
The NPADC is a team competition for law students to develop skills in drafting patent applications, focusing on U.S. patent law. Teams receive a hypothetical invention statement, conduct prior art searches, draft specifications and claims, and present their work to judges, including patent examiners and practitioners. For 2025, the invention was an extra-uterine system for supporting premature fetuses, indicating the complexity of tasks involved
There is no publicly available timetable for the 2027 National Patent Application Drafting Competition (NPADC) from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) as of the latest available information. The USPTO typically releases detailed schedules for the NPADC closer to the competition year, often in the fall of the preceding year (e.g., October or November 2025 for the 2026 competition).
After months of hard work, the top five teams met at USPTO headquarters today for the final round of the 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition. 🏆 And the winners are … ⬇️
🥇 First place — @UofMNLawSchool pic.twitter.com/uwNSJR0oBy
— USPTO (@uspto) April 4, 2025
Thomas Jefferson was the leader in founding the United States Patent Office. Jefferson was a strong supporter of the patent system and believed that it was essential for promoting innovation and progress in the United States. As the first Secretary of State Jefferson was responsible for implementing the country’s patent system.
Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution reads as follows:
“The Congress shall have Power To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”
In 1790, Jefferson drafted the first Patent Act, which established the procedures for applying for and granting patents. The act also created the United States Patent Office as a government agency to oversee the patent system. Jefferson appointed the first Patent Board, which was responsible for reviewing patent applications and making recommendations to the Secretary of State.
Jefferson was deeply involved in the early development of the Patent Office and was instrumental in shaping its policies and procedures. He believed that the patent system should be accessible to all inventors, regardless of their social or economic status, and he worked to streamline the patent application process to make it more efficient and user-friendly.
In recognition of his contributions to the development of the patent system, Jefferson is often referred to as the “Father of American Innovation.”
This clause grants Congress the authority to establish a system of patents and copyrights to protect the intellectual property of inventors and authors. The purpose of this system is to encourage innovation and creativity by providing inventors and authors with a temporary monopoly on their creations, allowing them to profit from their work and invest in future projects. The clause also emphasizes the importance of promoting the progress of science and the useful arts, reflecting the belief of the founders that the development of new technologies and inventions was essential for the growth and prosperity of the United States.
Over the years, the Patent Office has played a crucial role in the development of the United States as a technological leader, granting patents for inventions ranging from the telephone and the light bulb to the airplane and the computer. Today, the Patent Office is part of the United States Department of Commerce and is responsible for examining patent applications and issuing patents to inventors and companies.
Welcome to the 2025 National Patent Application Drafting Competition!
2024 National Patent Application Drafting Competition
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s National Patent Application Drafting Competition – Khailee, Bree, Rita, and Maria from @gwlaw, and thank you to all participants! Learn more about the competition: https://t.co/gB64fnXaM6 pic.twitter.com/FWqak6Mr1m
— USPTO (@uspto) April 14, 2023
From creating a race car safety device that protects drivers from injury to revolutionizing chemotherapy, Spartans have contributed to more than 3,300 inventions. #SpartansWill pic.twitter.com/dchCs0BFBx
— MSU (@michiganstateu) February 21, 2025
New update alert! The 2022 update to the Trademark Assignment Dataset is now available online. Find 1.29 million trademark assignments, involving 2.28 million unique trademark properties issued by the USPTO between March 1952 and January 2023: https://t.co/njrDAbSpwB pic.twitter.com/GkAXrHoQ9T
— USPTO (@uspto) July 13, 2023
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