April 6, 2009

BICSI, an association supporting the ‘information transport systems (ITS)’ industry, announced the approval and publication of ANSI/BICSI-001, “Information Transport Systems Design Standard for K-12 Educational Institutions”. This is the first-ever BICSI-exclusive standard the organization has produced as an ANSI-accredited standards development organization.

The standard is intended to enable K-12 ITS design in the building
development process by contributing to architectural considerations and
providing information that cuts across multidisciplinary design
efforts. Adequate planning during building construction or renovation
is significantly less expensive and less disruptive than after the
facility is operational. K-12 educational institutions can benefit from
an ITS infrastructure design that is planned in advance to support
growth and changes that will be required to enhance the educational
delivery system. This standard specifies minimum requirements and
guidelines for the design of ITS infrastructure for K-12 educational
institutions.

“The release of this standard is the first significant stride in
recognizing one of the major goals set forth in the BICSI Strategic
Plan: to be the trusted source of global standards and best practices,”
said Edward J. Donelan, BICSI president. “At the core of this
achievement is a tribute to the ITS industry experts who volunteered
their time and resources to advance the knowledge and success of our
members, their customers and the ITS industry.”

“There are currently no other standards like this one,” said Robert
Faber, chair of the BICSI Standards Committee. “It deals with safety in
an educational environment; most importantly—the safety of children.
Therefore, the standard goes beyond normal standards to assure safety
including the use of specialized types of cabling.”

CLICK HERE for more information on BICSI standards and upcoming standard releases.