The work of standardization with regard to the physical implementation of the services described in the ONA plans is very much a current issue, with work being carried out in various committees of the Exchange Carriers Standards Association (ECSA). ECSA was created in 1983 with the mission to ``promote the timely resolution of national and international issues involving telecommunications standards and the development of operation guidelines'' [27]. In October 1993 ECSA was renamed the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) and its membership was expanded to include all domestic providers of telecommunications services with a plant investment in transport and/or switching equipment. ATIS currently oversees eight committees including those described below.
In the Third Computer Inquiry, the FCC stated that private standards organizations, such as the T1 Committee, should play a major role in resolving issues of interest to carriers and enhanced service providers [page 1067]computer-iii. Committee T1 was established in 1983 and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute. This committee ``provides a proactive role in establishing consistent telecommunications standards worldwide to facilitate the deployment of interoperable telecommunications systems and services'' [27]. Current areas of technical focus include Signaling System 7 (SS7) Interconnection, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Intelligent Network (IN), and Switch Survivability. Two committees that have addressed ONA issues are the T1M1 and T1E1 Committees.
The T1M1.5 Committee, whose focus is on access in a network-network interconnection context, has been working on security requirements for interconnected Telecommunications Management Networks (TMNs). T1M1.5 work is relevant to ONA because work on securing operations environments is needed to support ONA.
The Information Industry Liaison Committee (IILC) was established in 1987 as a forum to exchange information on ONA. Participation in the IILC is open to all parties interested in ONA. The mission of the IILC is to obtain industry consensus on technical, operational, and administrative issues related to ONA. Requests for ONA services are accepted as Issues. Issues remain active until consensus is reached or a lack of overall interest in the issue is demonstrated. Resolved issues become voluntary recommendations that IILC participants generally adhere to. It is possible for each carrier to tailor an IILC recommendation.
In specific cases, for example the Operations Support Systems (OSS)
capabilities issue (see section 
), the FCC has directed
the carriers to
work through the IILC. In the BOC ONA Order, the FCC directed
the carriers to amend their ONA plans to reflect progress in the IILC.
The IILC is the primary forum used to resolve ONA issues.
The IILC has touched upon a few security related ONA issues. Any member of the IILC is allowed to propose new issues for requested services. Therefore, the framework is in place for additional services to be incorporated into ONA, including services that support NS/EP. Specific requests for enhanced services are evaluated based on expected market demand, their utility as perceived by ESPs, and the technical and cost feasibility of unbundling and providing those services.
Members of the IILC have worked together to resolve many ONA issues. Implementation of services based on IILC recommendations can be complicated. Many services are not offered due to lack of customer demand, cost or operational difficulty. For example, Issue 012 (Ability to Detect Breaks in Telco Lines Within 60 Seconds) was adopted on March 22, 1989 however today only four carriers offer this service. Issue 003 (ESP/Customer Access to BOC Network Management Systems (OSS)) was adopted March 15, 1988 however only one carrier currently offers this service.
Forums under the Carrier Liaison Committee (CLC) may address areas of interest to ONA. Forums that may cover areas related to ONA include the Ordering and Billing Forum and the Network Operations Forum. The Network Operations Forum (NOF) covers Toll Fraud Prevention and SS7 Network Testing. The NOF has done security work relevant to ONA in the following areas: