SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This is a summary of the Office of Engineering and Technology's Public Notice in ET Docket No 19-48, released April 2, 2019. The full text of this document is available at https://www.fcc.gov/​document/​oet-seeks-comment-modifying-equipment-authorization-rules.

ANSI C63.4a-2017 can be purchased from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), 3916 Ranchero Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, 1-800-699-9277, http://www.techstreet.com/​ieee; (IEEE publications can also be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation ( www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900.

ISO/IEC publications can be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation ( www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900.

Synopsis

As background, the Commission's rules incorporate references to measurement and technical standards that have been established by standards-setting bodies such as American National Standards Institute, Accredited Standards Committee C63SC (ASC63), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The Commission's equipment authorization program for radiofrequency (RF) devices, for example, incorporates such references in § 2.910 of the Commission's rules, 47 CFR. These organizations periodically update their standards to maintain best practices in response to advancements in technologies and measurement capabilities. When these changes are of a substantive nature, the Commission uses the rulemaking process to evaluate whether the changes should be effectuated in its rules.

By the Public Notice (Notice), OET sought comment on updating the Commission's rules and procedures to reflect recent changes to two standards: ANSI C63.4a-2017 “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” and ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.” As detailed below, the Notice discussed the role of these standards in the Commission's rules and it noted the recent changes made by the respective standards bodies.

ANSI C63.4a-2017. On November 11, 2018, upon publication of ANSI C63.4a-2017, ASC C63 requested that the Commission take the appropriate steps to reference it in our rules. ASC C63 also submitted a copy of the revised standard to the Commission in conjunction with its petition. As described in ASC C63's filing, the changes resolve certain normalized site attenuation issues (including the measurement of equipment under test that exceeds 2 meters in height) and make a variety of corrections, clarifications and modifications to parts of the standard. Accordingly, in the Notice, OET Commission sought comment on incorporating ANSI C63.4a-2017 into our rules.

ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E). In ET Docket No. 13-44, the Commission updated its rules to reference ISO/IEC standards related to the accreditation of Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories, including ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E). A new version of this standard was published in November 2017, but has yet to be incorporated into the Commission's rules. In addition to adding a definition of “laboratory,” this version replaces certain prescriptive requirements with performance-based requirements and allows for greater flexibility in satisfying the standard's requirements for processes, procedures, documented information and organizational responsibilities.

Additionally, ISO and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) recently issued a joint communique that re-confirms that a three-year transition period will be allowed for accredited laboratories to transition to the 2017 version of ISO/IEC 17025. While both ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E) and ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) will be valid during this three-year transition period, accreditations to ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E) will become invalid after November 30, 2020. OET sought comment on incorporating ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) into the Commission's rules and adopting a three-year transition period, consistent with the ISO and ILAC joint communique.