Abbreviations

Q. Should a noun that is represented by an acronym be initial capped upon first reference, e.g., ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) vs. Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)? Also, would this noun be initial capped (sans acronym) throughout the rest of the document?

A. No. Unless the phrase is a proper noun, there is no reason to capitalize it.

[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]