scope:

This standard specifies the character structure and character parity sense for serial by bit data communication using the American National Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).

Federal telecommunication standards are to facilitate interoperability between telecommunication facilities and systems and compatibility of these systems at the computer-communications interface with data processing equipment.

This standard shall be used by Federal agencies with other Federal Standards or design specifications describing functional, mechanical and procedural characteristics as necessary to achieve interoperability. Systems in existence on the date of this standard which are designed to a different character parity sense specification are not required to comply with the parity sense requirement in this standard.