Key facts
- The FCC voted on October 29 to stop recognizing Chinese testing labs, telecoms certification bodies and accreditation organizations.
- FCC chair Brendan Carr said only labs in the US or reciprocal economies would be allowed, starting two years from then.
- The certification labs determine whether an electronic product may enter the American market.
The US Federal Communications Commission voted on October 29 to stop recognizing testing laboratories, telecoms certification bodies and accreditation organizations in China and in other economies that lack a mutual recognition agreement or comparable arrangement, according to a report published on November 5.
The change concerns the laboratories that certify whether an electronic product may enter the American market. FCC chair Brendan Carr said that starting two years from then, the agency would only allow test labs based in the US or in reciprocal economies, meaning places willing to recognize US-based testing, according to The Verge.
The Verge reported that Carr's stated reasoning omits the context that test labs are concentrated in China because that is where gadgets are made. The primary report did not state the size of the affected testing industry or name specific companies.