FCC Looks to Bar Entities of National Security Concern From Participating in the Commission's Equipment Authorization Program

The Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules to ensure that wireless equipment authorizations are not compromised by entities that have been found to pose national security concerns. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will launch a proceeding to ensure that telecommunications certification bodies (TCBs) and measurement facilities (test labs) that participate in the Commission’s equipment authorization program are not influenced by untrustworthy actors. This new proceeding would permanently prohibit entities on the FCC’s Covered List from playing any role in the equipment authorization program while also providing the FCC and its national security partners the necessary tools to safeguard this important process.