Title: Opening the Door William H. Graff, AmericanTCB
1Opening the DoorWilliam H. Graff, AmericanTCB
2Opening the Door
- William H. Graff
- President and Director of Engineering
- 886 920399260
- whgraff_at_atcb.com
- Major Chen
- Manager East Asia Branch Office
- 886 922145866
- major_at_atcb.com
- Jerry Lee
- Manager China Branch Office
- 86 13510719330
- 86 13641223938
- jerry_at_atcb.com
3Why are there regulations?
- The radio frequency spectrum is limited, natural
resource. - This resource must be protected from pollution
- This pollution can be either natural or man-made.
4FCC ????????FCC RULES REDUCE ELECTROMAGNETIC
INTERFERENCE
Noise
Radiated
Conducted
51920s American Electronics
- Public fascination in early experiments with
voice over radio waves created a demand for radio
receivers and broadcast content. - Manufacturers began mass production of radio
receivers in response to public demand.
6Confusion in the marketplace
- Radio transmitters and receivers were created in
a completely unregulated and immature market. - Broadcasters and consumers increasingly found
themselves troubled by interference.
7Realization and maturity
- Eventually the radio spectrum became almost
unusable by consumers and broadcasters - Increased public awareness of interference led to
political pressures.
8Decisions
- In 1934 the Congress of the United States
declared the airwaves the property of the people
and created the FCC as the responsible agency for
managing the radio frequency spectrum.
9Fast forward to Today
- Today the FCC has dominion over all devices which
create or use radio frequency energy within the
frequency range of 10KHz to 300GHz. The core
mission of the FCC remains regulating
interference pollution.
10Classifications
- Transmitters used for communication.
- Licensed and protected
- Unlicensed unprotected Low Power
- Computers and Radio Receivers.
- Unintended Radio Sources
- Industrial, Scientific and Medical
- RF sources not used for communications, but used
for work
11Important Exceptions
- FCC does not regulate safety. This is handled by
private enterprise. - FCC does not set consumer performance standards.
- FCC has in place regulations for telephone
terminal equipment, but in recent years has
transferred much to the private sector.
12International Regulations
- Most other developed countries have copied in
some fashion the regulatory model of the FCC.
Many have included performance and safety issues
into their regulatory scheme.
13International cooperation
- Since radio waves cannot be kept within political
borders, international cooperation has proven
essential as equipment which utilizes RF energies
has evolved. Coordination of limits and spectrum
assignments has proven very useful.
14A Success Story
- International cooperation has been greatest in
the standardizing of emission limits from
computing equipment. - Test laboratories across the world have a nearly
universal standard for characterizing unintended
RF pollution.
15Acceptance of Test Data
- International agreements between governments have
allowed test data from one country to be accepted
by another. - For USA, a laboratory listed with the FCC
database is eligible to submit data to be used
for Certification.
16Mutual Recognition Agreements
- MRAs take the process one step closer. They allow
countries to authorize equipment on their own
without the need for excessive regulation. - Laboratories in countries with MRAs with USA can
perform Declaration of Conformity if accredited.
For USA this equipment is marked with FCC Logo.
17Important Note MRA and China
- Since no MRA yet exists with US and China, test
laboratories cannot do complete equipment
authorizations on their own. However, they are
still free to submit test data leading to
Certification. - i.e China laboratories cannot yet perform a DofC
for the US market
18Equipment Authorizations
- Manufacturers should be aware of the different
types of Equipment Authorizations - Certification
- Declaration of Conformity
- Verification
19Certification
- Certification is a process where a product is
tested to applicable FCC radio law, and the Test
Report along with all applicable exhibits are
submitted to an authorized agency. - Documents are reviewed.
- If accepted, a Grant will be issued and the
device will be listed in FCC database.
20FCC Website and Database
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23What is a Grant?
- A Grant of Equipment Authorization is a document
which shows acceptability to US radio law. - It is required by Customs before a device can be
imported into the USA. - Grants are only issued once all Exhibits are
received and approved
24Required Exhibits (always)
- Application Form
- External Photographs
- Internal Photographs
- Schematics
- Electrical Block Diagram
- Operational Description
- Label and Location
- Test Report
- Test Setup Photographs
- Manual
25Additional Exhibits (rule dependent)
- Confidentiality Request Letter
- RF Safety Report (SAR or MPE)
- Rule specific attestations
- Parts List
- Tune-Up Procedure
26So how does the process work?
CERTIFICATION
Create report with Technical Information
Send report, Exhibits and Application to ATCB
Test Product at quality laboratory
Receive Grant with FCC ID Number
Grant
27Steps Required for New Applicant
- Get an FRN
- (Federal Registration Number)
- Get a Grantee code
- (Online cost is 55USD)
- Have product tested by listed laboratory
- Submit data and all required exhibits to ATCB
- Answer questions promptly
- Receive Grant
- Sell product
28Obtain an FRN
- The FRN consists of a 10 digit number that
uniquely identifies anyone who does business with
FCC - It is an important number that will be used in
all transactions by the Applicant with FCC. Save
it and keep it safe - Start at http www.fcc.gov
- Click on link at left side of screen
- Answer questions asked by the program
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32Purchase a Grantee Code
- An FCC ID consists of a Grantee Code assigned by
the Commission followed by 14 alphanumeric
characters of the Applicants choosing. Any valid
character 09, AZ, plus - is acceptable. The
Grantee Code is the Applicants unique identifier
within the FCC equipment authorization database
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35Ready for Submission
- You should now have all the basic pieces for
submission to the FCC using the TCB process. - Kindly provide all required Exhibits along with
the Test Report at your earliest convenience. - Typical turn around time assuming all documents
are complete and accurate should be within 3
business days or less.
36Success!
- Once a valid Grant has been received and the
Equipment Authorization process has been
completed, it is now legal to sell the product in
the USA.
37What if I try and cheat?
- The FCC is capable under law to make substantial
penalties for any infraction of the law. These
penalties can be as much as 11,000 for each item
improperly sold. - The FCC has as much power as Federal tax
collectors (IRS) to take action against egregious
violations.
38Penalties can be severe
- Deliberate attempts to circumvent the process are
viewed as serious violations. - Even unknowing violations are viewed harshly.
- Product seizure, fines, and potential jail time
are all possible.
39How to choose a laboratory
- Look for an Accredited laboratory.
- or
- Look on the FCC website for a listed lab
- https//gullfoss2.fcc.gov/oetwl/index.html
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41How to choose a TCB
- Experience, Experience, Experience
- There is no substitute for experience with the
FCC rules. - AmericanTCB is one of the first 13 original TCBs
to become operational in June, 2000 - To date, we have Certified over 4000 products
42Advantages of using ATCB
- Easy to use secure electronic internet interface
- Easy to track your Certification progress
- Archive of all your product Certification files
maintained for 10 years
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46Support
- ATCB views a large portion of its mission is
education. We hold seminars all over the world. - ATCB will help you gain a clearer understanding
of the FCC Rules. - ATCB will happily assist in training of your
staff. If you are making better filings our life
becomes easier too.
47Questions?
- whgraff_at_atcb.com
- major_at_atcb.com
- jerry_at_atcb.com