DA 19-152 Released: April 2, 2019 OFFICE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY SEEKS COMMENT ON MODIFYING THE EQUIPMENT AUTHORIZATION RULES TO REFLECT THE UPDATED VERSIONS OF THE CURRENTLY REFERENCED ANSI C63.4 AND ISO/IEC 17025 STANDARDS ET Docket No. 19-48 Comment Date: [30 days after publication in the Federal Register] Reply Comment Date: [45 days after publication in the Federal Register] By this Public Notice, we seek comment on updating our rules and procedures to reflect recent changes to two standards: ANSI C63.4a-2017 “American National Standard for Methods of Measurement of Radio-Noise Emissions from Low-Voltage Electrical and Electronic Equipment in the Range of 9 kHz to 40 GHz, Amendment 1: Test Site Validation” and ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.” We describe each standard in greater detail, below. As background, the Commission’s equipment authorization program for radiofrequency (RF) devices incorporates references to measurement and technical standards that have been established by standards-setting bodies such as ASC C63 and ISO/IEC. 47 CFR § 2.910. These organizations periodically update their standards to maintain best practices in response to advancements in technologies and measurement capabilities. When these changes are of a substantive nature, we use the rulemaking process to evaluate whether the changes should be effectuated in our rules. See, e.g., Comments Sought on Newly Published ANSI C63.26-2015 Standard in Conjunction With Ongoing Equipment Authorization Rulemaking Proceeding, DA 16-348, Public Notice, 31 FCC Rcd 2314, 81 FR 23267 (OET 2016). See also 47 C.F.R § 0.241(a)(1)(ii). ANSI C63.4a-2017. In 2014, the Commission incorporated ANSI C63.4-2014 into its Part 15 rules Amendment of Parts 0, 1, 2, and 15 of the Commission's Rules regarding Authorization of Radiofrequency Equipment, Report and Order, ET Docket No. 13-44, 29 FCC Red 16335 (2014). See 47 C.F.R. § 15.3 l(a)(4). as a referenced electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) measurement standard for unintentional radiators. American National Standards Institute, Accredited Standards Committee C63 (ASC 63) is a standards organization that is responsible for developing EMC measurement standards and testing procedures. ASC C63’s standards are published by the American National Standards Institute under the ANSI nomenclature. The Commission has referenced various versions of ASC C63-originated standards in its rules for more than a quarter century. In late 2017, ASC C63 adopted ANSI C63.4a-2017 as an amendment to the ANSI C63.4-2014. On November 11, 2018, in light of publication of ANSI C63.4a-2017, ASC C63 requested that we take the appropriate steps to reference it in our rules. See ASC C63 Comments. ASC C63 originally filed in ET Docket No. 15-170. We subsequently moved this submission into ET Docket No 19-48. We advise parties who plan to comment on the ASC C63 submission to file in Docket 19-48 exclusively. As described in ASC C63’s filing, the changes resolve certain normalized site attenuation issues (including the measurement of equipment under test that exceeds 2 meters in height) and make a variety of corrections, clarifications and modifications to parts of the standard. ASC C63 Comments at 3-4. ANSI C63.4a-2017 can be purchased from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), 3916 Ranchero Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, 1-800-699-9277, http://www.techstreet.com/ieee; (IEEE publications can also be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation (www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900. ASC C63 also submitted a copy of the revised standard to the Commission in conjunction with its petition. We seek comment on incorporating ANSI C63.4a-2017 into our rules. ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E). In ET Docket No. 13-44, the Commission updated its rules to reference ISO/IEC standards related to the accreditation of Certification Bodies and Testing Laboratories, including ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E). See 47 C.F.R. §§ 2.960(c)(1) and 68.160(c)(1). ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of testing laboratories. See https://www.iso.org/standard/66912.html. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization that develops voluntary international standards, see https://www.iso.org/home.html. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) develops international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. See https://www.iec.ch. A new version of this standard was published in November 2017, but has yet to be incorporated into the Commission’s rules. In addition to adding a definition of “laboratory,” this version replaces certain prescriptive requirements with performance-based requirements and allows for greater flexibility in satisfying the standard’s requirements for processes, procedures, documented information and organizational responsibilities. See, e.g., ISO/IEC 17025 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, ISO (2017), available at https://www.ukas.com/download/brochures/ISO-17025-Brochure_EN_FINAL.pdf. (announcing adoption of the revised standard and providing additional background information). ISO and ILAC recently issued a joint communique that re-confirms that a three-year transition period will be allowed for accredited laboratories to transition to the 2017 version of ISO/IEC 17025. Resolution GA20.015, Adopted Resolutions of the Twentieth ILAC General Assembly, New Delhi, India, Nov. 4, 2016. This document is available online. https://ilac.org/?ddownload=120432. ILAC, the International Laboratory Accreditation Council, is an international organization for accreditation bodies involved in the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies. See https://ilac.org/about-ilac/partnerships/international-partners/iso/. While both ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E) and ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) will be valid during this three-year transition period, accreditations to ISO/IEC 17025:2005(E) will become invalid after November 30, 2020. ISO/IEC publications can be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation (www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900. We seek comment on incorporating ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E) into our rules and adopting a three-year transition period, consistent with the ISO and ILAC joint communique. Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR §§ 1.415, 1.149, interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates indicated on the first page of this document. Comments may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS). See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 (1998). § Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: www.fcc.gov/ecfs. § Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number. Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail. All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. § All hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary must be delivered to FCC Headquarters at 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-A325, Washington, DC 20554. The filing hours are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. § Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority Mail) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. § U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail must be addressed to 445 12th Street, SW, Washington DC 20554. People with Disabilities: To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty). Documents are available for public inspection and copying during business hours at the FCC Reference Information Center, Portals II, 445 12th Street, S.W., Room CYA257, Washington, D.C. 20554. Office of Engineering and Technology contact: Brian Butler at Brian.Butler@fcc.gov, or 202-418-2702. By the Chief, Office of Engineering and Technology - FCC- 3