by J.G. Harrington , Henry Wendel and Belen Crisp
The Federal Communications Commission has released a Report and Order updating its equipment authorization rules to incorporate new standards for testing devices subject to the rules. Radio frequency (RF) devices must be tested to ensure that they comply with the FCC's technical requirements before they are marketed or imported in the United States. The new rules align with the FCC's ongoing efforts to ensure new RF devices do not cause harmful interference to other devices. Most of the changes focus on amending site validation and testing requirements. However, the FCC also deleted outdated references and transition periods within the existing rules.
The FCC monitors and updates its technical requirements by incorporating best practices from standards-setting bodies. In this latest update, the FCC incorporated standards for testing for RF emissions established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Accredited Standards Committee C63 (ANSC C63) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).