440.65 does not belong in the code since it really is a national testing laboratory standard kind of thing.
This requirement can never be part of the field wiring which is the purview of the NEC.
It creates a standard for single phase air conditioners, not the structure.
I would move to have it stricken from the next code on the basis that it is beyond the ambit of the NEC.
It sounds like some manufacturer of AFCI OEM devices hustled this through the code committees without it getting enough thought.
The current requirement for AFCI cicuits in bedrooms just makes the cord embedded device redundant.
