American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - Ansi On The World Stage

ANSI ON THE WORLD STAGE

ANSI is the U.S. affiliate of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), of which it is a founding member and one of the five permanent members of the governing ISO Council. ANSI also is a member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC). Additionally, ANSI champions the adoption of U.S.-based standards on the international scene, and when appropriate, aims to incorporate international standards in the United States.

There is a perpetual tension surrounding the nationalistic character of standards, whereby individual nations insist on autonomy in setting their own standards. Conversely, the internationalization of standards carries some of the same complications to the next level. Nations sometimes disagree when another tries to impose its standards as the global ones, thereby attaining a state of hegemony and other advantages. In the late 1990s, European organizations increasingly introduced new standards that some in the United States feared would undermine U.S. competitiveness in the global marketplace. ANSI and related organizations thus recognized the need to produce a more systematic and responsive U.S. standardization environment.

Facing the emergence of relatively clear European standards and their influence on global commerce, in September 2000 ANSI presented a proposed "National Standards Strategy for the United States" to the U.S. House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Technology. Stemming from a 1998 standards summit co-hosted by ANSI and NIST, which gathered government, industry, and consumer groups, the proposal marked the end of two years of cooperative efforts. With the dramatic increase in global trade, foreign competition, and the growing concern with protecting health, safety, and the environment, we "can't assume that U.S. technology and practice will automatically be adopted everywhere," the proposal stated, noting that "emerging economies with the potential for explosive growth are looking to ISO and IEC for standards" rather than to the United States.

While renewing support for the established U.S. standards-writing principles—which cherish open participation by all interested parties and easy access to the status and progress of standards writing—ANSI called for a 12-step program to be undertaken in the United States. Its purpose was to give the nation a unified voice and a quick, fair, and workable standards-writing and implementation process for competing in the global marketplace. The steps involved included integrating several elements into the writing process. Among these were the environmental, health, and safety concerns of affected parties; a greater awareness and consideration of consumer concerns; and coordinated efforts with industries in other countries. In December 2000, ANSI and NIST signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aimed to further the National Standards Strategy by increasing communication between the two organizations and private and public interests in the United States. Moreover, the MoU shored up the recognition of ANSI as the sole international representative of U.S. standards interests.

The voluntary nature of U.S. standards is one impediment to the systematic adoption of standards throughout an industry, country, or across the globe, despite ANSI's efforts to broaden the application of voluntary standards. Moreover, the wave of downsizing in the U.S. economy in the 1990s often eliminated the layers of workers devoted to the technical aspects of applying standards. The National Standards Strategy was designed to address and overcome these difficulties.