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The Technical Standards Program (TSP) was established in 1994 (by ESTA) in response to the increasing number of members who were encountering situations where the lack of standards, or the imposition of standards developed outside the entertainment industry, were making it increasingly difficult to conduct business safely, efficiently, and profitably. As a trade association in a technology-based industry, it was the obvious duty of the association to serve its membership by establishing a program to deal with issues of technology and standards. Every standard addresses a problem.

ANSI Accredited
The accreditation of the Technical Standards Program by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) means that the PLASA program for standards-making has passed detailed scrutiny by ANSI to make sure it meets ANSI's stringent requirements for fairness and freedom from control by special interests. This accreditation allows PLASA to submit standards for the ANSI public review and comment process to ensure that all parties affected by a standard have had an opportunity to participate in its development, and allows PLASA to publish the standards with the ANSI designation.

The ANSI designation on a standard is universally recognized as a mark of technical diligence and commercial impartiality. The ANSI accreditation is a major milestone for the entertainment technology industry. The PLASA Technical Standards Program is the only ANSI-accredited standards program dedicated to the needs of the entertainment technology industry.

The TSP structure
The Technical Standards Program is the largest and most effective volunteer driven program in the industry. With the assistance of PLASA's Technical Standards Manager, hundreds of volunteers are responsible for every aspect of the program. Oversight for the program is provided by the Technical Standards Council. The actual work of writing standards is carried out by the Working Groups and their task groups. You do not need to be a member of PLASA to participate in the Technical Standards Program.