FAQ
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What is NESA?
The National Electronic Security Alliance is a federation of state associations established to serve and promote the electronic systems industry at the direction of, and through its affiliated state associations.
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Who Has Been Involved In Creating NESA?
The following states have joined NESA:
- Arkansas Security Alarm Association (ASAA)
- Kansas Electronic Security Association (KESA)
- Maryland Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (MBFAA,
- Oklahoma Electronic Security Association (OESA)
- Texas Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA),
Other states are in the process of presenting the option to membership or board meetings.
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There Are Already So Many Associations - Why Create Another One?
No other association is designed to do what NESA is designed to do. NESA was created for two central purposes; to monitor and influence federal legislation and regulation and to facilitate the exchange of information between state associations.
NESA exists to serve the state associations and to help them serve their members.
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What Value Does NESA Bring To The Dealers And Associates That Belong To The State Associations That Choose To Join?
- Networking and information sharing is a prime value of NESA. Each state association has to face and tackle the same challenges your association faces. No one is a better source of help than your peers. Your association will grow and improve if you apply what works in other successful associations.
- Leadership training will be provided at NESA meetings to help your state leaders run the association better.
- The ability to monitor and influence federal legislation and regulation. We need collaboration and coordinated efforts with other state associations to represent our industry at a national level.
- NESA will help you keep your members up with the latest codes and standards and will allow industry leaders to mobilize to influence the codes and standards process.
- Individual state members can gain credibility and exposure as a member of a National Association. Each day consumers search the web looking for products and services. Our NESA web site listings will provide your members with national exposure that can only enhance their marketing efforts.
- Consolidated effort on member services. All dealers use the same services
regardless of the state. NESA can identify insurance providers, uniform companies, etc. and allow the states to expand the member services offered.
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Will NESA Dilute the Industry's Clout on a National Level as a Whole?
There are already so many associations at a national level that all represent their portion of the electronic systems industry (UL central stations, manufacturers distributors, fire alarm dealers, home and commercial integrators). Frankly none are representing state associations or their members at the grassroots level.
The addition of one more association focused on monitoring and influencing national legislation will strengthen not diminish the industry's clout.
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How Will NESA Be Governed?
NESA will be governed by a board of one representative from each state association that chooses to belong. All officers will be elected from and by the board. The focus on state association needs will be stressed because the only board member who will not directly represent a state will be the President.
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When and Where Will NESA Meet and What Will Happen At the Meetings?
NESA will meet at trade shows (ASIS, ISC West) twice a year. Meetings will conduct alliance business and provide training and information exchange to help state leaders improve their associations. Presentations and discussions on topics including recruiting members, conducting trade shows and effective lobbying will be given.
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How Will NESA be Funded?
States will pay a fee of $50 per regular and associate member to cover the common costs and pay a-la-carte for the optional services they choose to implement.
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Why Do We Care About Federal Legislation And Regulations?
The electronic security industry is currently in blissful ignorance of what happens at the federal level. Each year thousands of bills are introduced that could help or hurt our industry. Dealers need to have their voice heard on issues including:
- The CSAA effort for national reciprocity of licensing for central station operators.
- H. R. 5181- a bill to prohibit certain video monitoring and audio monitoring of employees by their employers.
- How Homeland Security funds are distributed for the purchase of electronic security equipment by the government.
- How the reopening of the telecommunications act will impact the communications paths we use each day for electronic security.
- How the FCC will or will not regulate voice over IP.
- How foreign or offshore central stations are regulated.
No single company or state association can spend the time required to check all this activity. NESA will enable state leaders to be informed about federal activity and it will enable our collective industry to influence legislation and regulation.
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What Types Of A-La-Carte Services To States Are Being Considered?
NESA will not compete with the state associations. NESA will not offer services that compete with a state's own programs or compete for income from those programs. NESA will help states that request help to develop and implement their own programs including: Training, Newsletters, Marketing and PR tools and Member Services.
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In Other Associations Expenses Have Exceeded the Revenue For Several Years- How Will NESA Control Costs?
- NESA is designed to serve the states and will not have the expense of billing or communicating with thousands of individual members.
- NESA is focused on common issues so the demands on it will be focused and limited as well.
- NESA will not duplicate state effort; instead it will coordinate and amplify the states efforts.
- To control costs NESA will track policies and legislation of interest to the members and rely on grassroots efforts of state leaders and members to accomplish its lobbying efforts.
- NESA will not have employees, but will hire firms to perform legislative and regulatory tracking and administer the association.
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How Does NESA Differ From Other National Associations?
- Knowledge of what worked and did not work at other associations has been applied to design NESA to avoid the structural problems that have raised challenges in the past.
- NESA is structured to serve the state association. This avoids inserting NESA in between the state association and it’s members.
- NESA is structured to focus on the common needs while allowing subgroups of states to caucus to address mutual needs that are not common to everyone.
- In NESA, the officers would have no power to create new policy or expend funds without board approval.
- In NESA, task forces will be created by the board from time to time to deal with specific issues.
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Can An Individual Company Join NESA?
No. NESA is structured to serve the state association. NESA is designed to serve the states and will not have the expense of billing or communicating with thousands of individual members.
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