This document establishes environmental performance criteria for communications equipment located at the customer premises (on the subscriber's side of the network interface or demarcation point) such as telephones, modems, multi-line systems, wired and wireless routers, set top boxes, multi-media equipment, alarm systems, etc. It defines the physical and electrical conditions that equipment may be subjected to during its life-cycle and establishes test criteria that demonstrate the ability of the equipment to operate as expected after being subjected to these conditions.

In some cases, environmental criteria and the related tests are categorized as either "normal" or "severe". Normal conditions are expected for all equipment while severe conditions may only apply to certain types of equipment or equipment installed in more exposed environments.

This document may cover some topics addressed in regulatory or safety documents. Compliance to this document is not intended to infer regulatory or safety compliance.

The scope of this document does not include network equipment such as central office switches, digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs), or similar equipment under the exclusive control of a communications utility.