28 February 2002 The Honorable John D. Graham
Dear Dr. Graham: One of the many obligations of the U.S. Federal Government is to develop and enforce regulations to assure the safety of our citizens. Federal regulations are often based on standards developed by volunteers working under the aegis of organizations such as The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and others. Federal employees are often key participants in these efforts. The participation of Federal employees in this process is encouraged by government policy [OMB Circular A-119 (19-Feb.-98); Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities]. However, because of budgetary constraints, Federal employees have found it increasingly difficult to obtain support from their agencies to attend meetings of these groups. The lack of input and leadership in many instances by Federal government participants limits the range of issues that need consideration when international telecommunications standards are under evaluation and development. Given that the Federal government plays an important role in supporting U.S. positions on standards to international committees, their support during the critical stages of standards evolution are crucial to the understanding of the extremely detailed issues that may arise and that could impact international trade as well. We are writing to call your attention to the importance of volunteer efforts by Federal employees in the standard setting process. IEEE-USA urges you to carefully consider these needs in budget deliberations and encourage Federal employees to be active in the standards setting process. IEEE-USA is an organizational unit of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc, created in 1973 to promote the careers and public policy interests of the more than 230,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are U.S. members of IEEE. For more information, visit us online at www.ieeeusa.org. If you have any further questions, please contact Deborah Rudolph, Manager of Technology Policy at IEEE-USA, (202) 785-0017 x 8332 or by email at d.rudolph@ieee.org. Sincerely, LeEarl A. Bryant, P.E.
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