Becoming a MultiSpeak Member
Membership Classes
There are three classes of membership: Vendor, Auditing, and Sponsoring. Vendors of software belong in the vendor class. Utilities, consultants that do not sell software products, and all other interested parties belong to the auditing membership class. Sponsoring membership is a special case set up for trade organizations or governmental entities that may wish to provide significant funding to advance the MultiSpeak specification. Acceptance of an organization for Sponsoring membership requires special action of the MultiSpeak Advisory Board, the governing body of MultiSpeak.
Cost of Vendor Membership
The base membership for Vendor members is $5,000/year. However, the group wishes to recognize prior participation in the development of the specification. To this end, vendor members can receive credits for prior participation in vendor’s group meetings. The use of up to four credits per year, at $500 each is permitted. Hence a vendor with a sufficient number of credits for past meeting participation will only pay $3,000/year until such time as the banked meeting credits are exhausted.
Cost of Auditing Membership
Auditing membership is: (i) $100/year for members of NRECA’s Cooperative Research Network (CRN), (ii) $400/year for NRECA voting members that do not belong to the CRN, or (iii) $1,200/year for all other entities (non-NRECA utilities, consultants, etc.).
Benefits of Vendor Membership
Vendor members may attend all meetings of MultiSpeak, whether technical or business-related, with the exception of Advisory Board meetings. They may vote on any technical or business issues that are put to vote at those meetings. They have the right to nominate and vote for four of the nine members of the MultiSpeak Advisory Board. Vendor membership also entitles the member to a $5,000 annual credit against the trademark license. Vendor members also get access to, and can influence the direction of, early drafts of new versions of the specification. Vendor members also have access to releases of the specification prior to non-members.
Benefits of Auditing Membership
Auditing membership entitles the member to attend any meeting of MultiSpeak, with the exception of Advisory Board meetings. Auditing members may not vote on any issue at those meetings, except that they may elect four of the nine members of the Advisory Board. Auditing members also get access to, and can influence the direction of, early drafts of new versions of the specification. Auditing members also have access to releases of the specification prior to non-members.
More detail about the Benefits of Membership
How to Become a Member
Membership documents can be downloaded, completed, and sent to the attention of:
Mr. Bob Saint
NRECA
4301 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22203-1860
Payment may be made in the form of a credit card payment or a check made payable to NRECA. Credit card information should be sent along with the membership agreements to Mr. Bob Saint. If payment is made by check, membership agreements should still be sent to Mr. Bob Saint at the address listed above and payment only should be sent separately to:
NRECA
P.O. Box 758777
Baltimore, MD 21275-8777
The contacts page provides the details for obtaining additional information about membership.
Other Questions About Membership
Do I have to be a member to attend MultiSpeak meetings? Yes. Meetings of the MultiSpeak Technical Committee and the MultiSpeak Business Planning Committee are open only to members.
Do I have to be a member to use the specification in my software? No. Public releases of the specification are freely available to any interested party. Anyone can download and use the public releases of the specification. However, the most recent developments in the specification are available only to members. The use of the trademarked word “MultiSpeak” and all MultiSpeak logos is restricted to persons or organizations that have entered into a current trademark license with NRECA. See trademark usage guide FAQ questions for more information on this point.
Do I have to be a member to test my software for compatibility with the specification? No. Any person or organization may test their software for compatibility with the specification by paying the appropriate testing fees. See testing information for vendors for more information on these issues.