FCC Proposes Updates to Standards Used in Equipment Authorization

The rapid and widespread deployment of radiofrequency (RF) devices has enabled the communications sector to drive innovation, promote economic growth, and become integral to nearly all aspects of modern life. The Federal Communications Commission’s equipment authorization program is one of the principal ways the agency ensures that the communications equipment people rely on every day, such as their cellphones and Wi-Fi devices, operate effectively without causing harmful interference and otherwise comply with the Commission’s rules. In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the FCC proposes targeted updates to its rules to incorporate four new and updated standards that are integral to the testing of equipment and accreditation of laboratories that test RF devices. RF devices are evolving more rapidly than ever before, and the FCC anticipates that this evolution will continue and even accelerate. Keeping abreast of significant developments in the standards-setting community enables our equipment authorization program to keep pace with this evolution and ensure that the devices being used every day continue to comply with our technical rules.