EIA
Electronic Industries Association 
A USA trade organization that specializes in the development of standards for the electrical and functional characteristics of interface equipment.

IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
An international professional engineering society that issues its own standards and Engineers is a member of ANSI and ISO.

ISO
International Standards Organization 
An international, non-profit standards organization whose membership includes standards organizations from participating nations. (ANSI is the USA representative)

TIA
Telecommunications Industry Association
A USA trade organization that specializes in the developmentof standards for telecommunications cabling and its support  structures.

UL
Underwriters Laboratories
A non-profit corporation, operating as a testing facility and developer of safety standards. UL also has the capability for testing to various industry performance specifications such as TIA/EIA, IBM and Bellcore. By its own definition, Underwriters Laboratories defines itself as follows: "Underwriters Laboratories Inc., founded in 1894, is chartered as a not-for-profit organization without capital stock, under the laws of the state of Delaware, to establish, maintain and operate laboratories for the examination and testing of devices, systems and materials to determine their relation to hazards to life and property" UL tests products for paying "clients" and if the product submitted passes the requirements of the UL standard for which it is submitted, a UL "listing" or "verification" is granted which allows the manufacturer to use the UL manifest or "label" on its product. It is important to remember that UL is not an approval agency. It approves nothing, but merely lists a product as 
meeting its minimum standard for safety or verifies/classifies a product as meeting an industry standard for performance. 
Underwriters "Listing" mark on a product is generally accepted by the public and government agencies as evidence of a "safe" product, not necessarily a "quality" product.