Changes to FCC requirements for unlicensed radio frequency devices

Telecommunications equipment and digital devices are required to meet technical requirements established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States. Regulations concerning the use of unlicensed devices are contained in parts 2 and 15 of the FCC rules. Recently there has been a significant increase in the number of unlicensed devices or what is often referred to as "part 15 devices". The type and application of these devices is developing at a very rapid pace. The FCC rules have been very successful in permitting the development and use of new types of unlicensed devices. As part of its biennial regulatory review the FCC has made a number of proposed changes to part 15. In addition, the FCC rules reference industry standards for the measurement methods. This paper discusses the proposed changes to part 15 and how the FCC rules reference industry standards such as ANSI C63.4-2001 and CISPR 22:1997 as well as a brief discussion on the activity of the industry in maintaining and harmonizing these industry standards and the cooperative work that the FCC does with the voluntary standards community. As there are no immunity requirements for unlicensed devices, this paper addresses only the emissions aspects of EMC.