USA: New and updated standards for FCC equipment authorization

 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has updated the equipment authorization rules to incorporate four new and updated standards that are integral to equipment testing.

The equipment authorization program is one of the principal ways FCC ensures that the radiofrequency (RF) devices people rely on every day, such as their cell phones and Wi-Fi devices, operate effectively without causing harmful interference and otherwise comply with the Commission’s rules. Now, FCC has updated the rules to incorporate four new and updated standards that are integral to equipment testing. By updating the rules to keep pace with significant developments in the standards-setting community, FCC ensures that the equipment authorization program relies on the latest guidance so that the public has confidence that today’s advanced devices comply with our technical rules.

Section 302 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Act), authorizes the Commission to make reasonable regulations governing the interference potential of devices that emit RF energy and can cause harmful interference to radio communications. The Commission generally implements this authority by establishing technical rules for RF devices.  One of the primary ways the Commission ensures compliance with the technical rules is through the equipment authorization program for RF devices, procedures for which are codified in part 2 of our rules.  The Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) administers the day-to-day operation of the equipment authorization program.

Part 2 of the Commission’s rules provides two different approval procedures for RF devices subject to equipment authorization—certification and Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). While both processes involve laboratory testing to demonstrate compliance with Commission requirements, testing associated with certification must be performed by an FCC-recognized accredited testing laboratory.

Equipment testing is central to the equipment authorization program in ensuring that RF devices comply with Commission rules. Acknowledging the best practices widely followed by industry, the Commission’s equipment authorization rules often incorporate by reference various standards established by standards-setting bodies, including, but not limited to, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Accredited Standards Committee C63 (ANSC C63); the International Organization for Standardization; and the International Electrotechnical Commission. Use of these standards is intended to ensure the integrity of the measurement data associated with an equipment authorization.

The standards in scope of the update are:

• “American National Standard Validation Methods for Radiated Emission Test Sites; 1 GHz to 18 GHz” (ANSI C63.25.1-2018)
• “American National Standard of Procedures for Compliance Testing of Unlicensed Wireless Devices” (ANSI C63.10-2020)
• “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories” (ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E))
• “American National Standard for Methods of Measurement of Radio-Noise Emissions from Low-Voltage Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Range of 9 kHz to 40 GHz, Amendment 1: Test Site Validation” (ANSI C63.4a-2017)

The public consultation about the update proposal can be found HERE.

To find out more about radio compliance in USA and the FCC certification, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.