FCC Addresses Growing Number of Wireless Devices that Must Be Certified
The FCC approved an order authorizing ID codes of longer than three characters for new wireless devices that have been submitted for testing. Rashmi Doshi, chief of the FCC’s lab in Columbia, Md., told commissioners the Office of Engineering and Technology also is looking at other changes to streamline the certification process. The agency must certify a broad range of consumer and business products, from cellphones to Wi-Fi devices to children’s toys.
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In the change approved Wednesday, on a 5-0 vote, the FCC agreed to the use of five-character ID codes to be issued by the commission. The three-character restriction dates to 1979. “The rapid innovation in equipment design has led to ever-accelerating growth in the number of parties applying for equipment approval,” the agency said in a news release. “As a result of this growth, the FCC is running low on the identification codes it assigns to new applicants. ... The FCC’s action today will significantly increase the pool of identifier codes assigned to companies requesting equipment authorizations to ensure that a sufficient supply is available well into the future.” The order’s at (http://xrl.us/bnbo27).
"Today’s wireless devices are increasingly complex, both technically and functionally,” Doshi said. “In addition, an increasing number of both domestic and foreign manufacturers has created a truly worldwide marketplace for wireless devices. The commission’s management of the equipment management program must respond to these challenges.” OET will “continue to monitor the program and we'll take steps to continue to streamline the process,” Doshi said.
The number of applications for authorizations has soared as the world has gone wireless, Doshi explained. Only about 4,000 applications were filed in 1999, compared to 14,000 last year, he said. Since 1998, the FCC has permitted other labs to certify devices following agency rules. The 35 telecom certification bodies authorized by the commission now handle about 98 percent of the load, allowing the FCC lab to concentrate on the most complicated cases, he said.
The certification program is important even if it gets little public attention, said OET Chief Julius Knapp. “While the debates about standards are often in the spotlight in the context of the rulemakings, it’s in the equipment authorization program where the rubber really hits the road and the products must demonstrate that they comply with the rules that the commission has adopted."
Commissioner Mignon Clyburn encouraged OET to continue to explore ways of making its authorization program work better. “OET’s efforts to improve the equipment authorization program are significant because these moves will ultimately make it easier for innovators to bring their products to market,” she said. “Clarifying the permit-but-ask procedures and modifying the rules for software defined radios, for example, should result in fewer regulatory hurdles and lower administrative costs for equipment manufacturers.”
"This means eight million more grantee codes,” said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “Over the great arc of time, it can mean eight million more opportunities for businesses to develop new and innovative products.” Commissioner Ajit Pai called equipment authorization a “vital and underappreciated commission function.” But he noted that order was mostly a “housekeeping” item. “I support this ... item to expand the size of grantee codes from three characters to five characters, and let me assure the American public that if it ever becomes necessary to take a bold step of moving to six or even seven grantee codes the Office of Engineering and Technology will have my full backing,” he joked.