The FCC is an independent agency of the United States, established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.
In order to obtain market approval for a device with radio technologies in the USA, each manufacturer must obtain FCC certification for the respective device. Certification in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) primarily means approval of devices with radio technologies in the USA. In order to make the certification process more efficient for manufacturers in and outside the USA, the FCC has designated Telecommunications Certification Bodies (TCBs) that have the authority to apply for and grant certification as part of the FCC approval process.
In November 2017, an updated FCC Authorization Program was presented, which was in a transition period until November 2, 2018. During this transition period both programs were valid.
A new authorization program for FCC certification for the US market has been in effect since November 2018.
Has to be assigned by an accredited and recognized FCC Laboratory
Self declaration process – No FCC lab is required. The responsible party must be located in the US. A FCC Logo in FCC 15.19 is no longer mandatory.
A list of product groups for which the less complex sDoC procedure can be used can be found in FCC Rule Part 15.101. For all other product groups, the FCC certification procedure with an accredited and recognized FCC laboratory is mandatory.
We are accredited and recognized as an official laboratory by the FCC and are therefore able to perform all relevant regulatory tests necessary to start the FCC approval process. In addition to the necessary tests, our TCBs also enable us to offer you the certification process and thus a complete FCC approval from a single source.
Our accredited laboratories in North America and Europe have several approved TCBs and we offer testing and approval services according to all FCC standards. These include, among others:
For unlicensed devices such as Bluetooth or WLAN products, radio keys, etc. the following must be submitted:
For licensed devices, such as mobile phones, the following additional features are needed:
The application, including documents in English, must be submitted by the TCB to the FCC.
The basis for a market approval in Canada is the so-called ISED certification. The responsible authority for radio licensing in Canada is called Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). The technical requirements for a market approval of products with radio technologies are in most cases identical to those in the USA and the tasks of the FCB for Canada are similar to those of the TCB.
