The FCC is an independent United States government agency. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable.
Each manufacturer requires an FCC certification for its wireless device, to obtain regulatory approval for the device in the United States. Market approval, as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), primarily means an approval of wireless technology devices in the United States.
To make the certification process more efficient for manufacturers in and outside the USA, the FCC has appointed Telecommunications Certifications Bodies (TCBs) who have the authority to review and grant an application for certification on behalf of the FCC.
In November 2017, an updated FCC authorization program was presented, which is currently in transitional period until November 2018.
Both procedures are valid during this transitional period. Depending on the product type, manufacturers then have two options (certification and sDoC) to allow their products for the American market.
Upon completion of certification by the TCB and approval by the FCC, the manufacturer is authorized to mark the product with an FCC label including the so-called ID Identifier. Without such labeling, ranging, amongst others, from the device, packaging and description, an US product launch is not permitted.
An FCC certification is permanently valid and does not expire. This means that a completely unchanged product does not have to be re-certified. In the case of minor changes to the device or the device configuration, a re-certification based on the original FCC certification may also be necessary.
We are accredited and recognized by the FCC as an official laboratory, and we are thus able to perform all relevant regulatory tests necessary to start the approval process. In addition to the required tests, we can also offer you the handling of the certification process through our TCBs and thus a complete FCC approval from a single source.
Our accredited laboratories in North America and Europe have several approved TCBs and we provide testing and approval services in accordance with all FCC standards. These include, among others:
An FCC certification can also be considered as the basis for approval in many countries around the world, as the associated test scope covers a large number of local requirements. These include, among others, Mexico, Chile or Argentina. Contrary to popular belief, an FCC certification for the US market is not synonymous with regulatory approval in Canada. For the Canadian market a certification of the authority ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) is necessary.
