Earlier this month, MET Labs attended the FCC Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) Council TCB Workshop in Baltimore. Here was the agenda.
Some highlights from the workshop overview:
Equipment authorization certifications continue their upward trend, reaching nearly 12,000 in 2010.
98.5% of products were approved by TCBs, continuing the downward trend of TCB exclusions.
An increasing number of complex devices are creating new challenges, like additional Permit But Ask (PBA) requests (see below for the latest on PBA).
The first potential FCC ID revocation raised some questions on the process.
FCC identified complex products as a challenge for the equipment authorization program. Following are their focus areas:
- Continued updating of technical expertise of laboratory testers, reviewers, and assessors
- Detailed review of operations descriptions
- Challenges for timely review considering volume of applications
Knowledge Database (KDB) publications since January 1, 2011 include:
TCB Responsibilities
641163 – TCB Roles & Responsibilities (01/06/2011)
610077 – Post-Market Surveillance for TCBs (01/11/2011)
Administrative and General Policies
628591 – TCB Exclusion List (02/24/11)
442812 – Software Defined Radio Guidance (02/24/2011)
388624 – Permit But Ask (02/03/2011)
388624 – Permit But Ask (04/04/2011)
996369 – Modular Equipment Guide (02/03/2011), Draft
178919 – Permissive Change Policies (02/24/2011), Draft
594280 – Software Configuration Control (02/24/2011), Draft
848637 – DFS Client Device Guidance, Draft
634817 – Frequency Range Listing, Draft
Specific Rule Part
579009 – Part 90 Narrowband requirements (03/29/2011)
273109 – Part 25 Satellite Transceiver (02/03/2011)
Measurement guidance publications since January 1, 2011 include:
EMC Measurement Procedures
662911 – Multiple Input-Output Guidance (04/04/2011)
RF Exposure
941225 – Hotspot SAR Evaluation (04/04/2011)
941225 – UMPC Mini-Tablet SAR Evaluation (04/04/2011)
643646 – Push-to-talk SAR (04/04/2011)
Hearing Aid Compatibility
285076 – Hearing Aid Compatibility Guidance (02/03/2011)
DVDs of the April 2011 TCB Workshop are available for pre-order.
The next TCB Workshop will be October 25-27, 2011 in Baltimore.
Find out more about FCC TCB Certification.
