ONLINE NEWSLETTER - GLOBAL TELECOM COMPLIANCE NEWS
Date: June 25, 2001
----------------------------- In This Issue ------------------------------
** United States
FCC News Release June 25, 2001 - FCC
Telephone Equipment Certification Process to be Privatized next
month.
FCC Public Notice DA 01-1485 - FCC no longer accepting applications for certification to Part 68 as of July 23, 2001
------------------------------ United States ------------------------------
FCC News Release June 25, 2001
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION’S ROLE IN TELEPHONE
EQUIPMENT CERTIFICATION PROCESS TO BE PRIVATIZED NEXT MONTH
Part 68 Certification of Telephone Equipment Expires on
July 23, 2001
Washington, D.C. – Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Public Notice reminding parties that its rules governing the development of technical standards and certification procedures for telecommunications equipment, such as telephones, fax machines, or modems, will be privatized next month, on July 23, 2001.
The FCC, in its ongoing effort to streamline unnecessary rules as competition increases across the telecommunications marketplace, issued an Order in November 2000, which privatized the processes for establishing technical criteria for customer premises equipment (CPE) and for certifying that the equipment complies with the technical criteria.
The Commission’s Order from last November requires certification of terminal equipment by one of two methods. The first method, which is currently available to applicants, is certification by a Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB). Once the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments (ACTA) establishes filing requirements for TCBs, TCBs must send their certificates to ACTA's designated receiver. Until that time, TCBs may continue to send their certificates to the Commission. Additionally, beginning on July 23, 2001, parties seeking to request exceptions or interim criteria for their terminal equipment that does not meet the ACTA-published technical criteria should contact ACTA. The Commission’s rules pertaining to hearing aid compatibility and volume control are not affected by this action.
- FCC -Common Carrier Bureau Staff Contact: Bill Howden at 202-418-2320
DA 01-1485
Released: June 22, 2001
COMMON CARRIER BUREAU ANNOUNCES THAT
THE COMMISSION WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT APPLICATIONS FOR
PART 68 CERTIFICATION AND PETITIONS FOR WAIVER OF PART 68 TECHNICAL CRITERIA
Pursuant to In the Matter of 2000 Biennial Regulatory Review of Part 68 of the Commission’s Rules and Regulations, CC Docket 99-216, Report and Order, FCC 00-400, 66 FR 7579 (January 24, 2001) (Order), the Commission will no longer accept applications for certification of terminal equipment under 47 C.F.R. Part 68 as of July 23, 2001. Also, petitions for waiver of the Part 68 rules that were eliminated in the Order, including those pertaining to the Commission’s streamlined waiver process for stutter dial tone (section 68.312(i)) and ADSL/RADSL terminal equipment (section 68.308(e)(1)), should no longer be filed with the Commission after July 23, 2001. As of July 23, 2001, parties seeking to request exceptions or interim criteria for their terminal equipment that does not meet the published technical criteria should contact the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments (ACTA). The Commission’s rules pertaining to hearing aid compatibility and volume control are not affected by this action.
The ACTA, established by the Commission in the Order, is responsible for establishing and maintaining a database of equipment found to be compliant with industry-established technical criteria, establishing numbering and labeling requirements, and establishing filing requirements for certification.
The Order requires certification of terminal equipment by one of two methods. The first method, which is currently available to applicants, is certification by a Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB). Once ACTA establishes filing requirements for TCBs and so notifies them, TCBs must send their certificates to ACTA's designated receiver. Until that time, TCBs may continue to send their certificates to the Commission.
Once ACTA establishes the supporting database, numbering and labeling requirements, and data filing requirements, the second method, self-declaration of conformity (SDoC) certification, will be available to terminal equipment suppliers. At that time, suppliers declaring conformity may send required data to ACTA's designated receiver. Parties seeking information on the SDoC certification method may contact Tim Jeffries, (202) 662-8669, email: tjeffries@atis.org.
For further information about this Notice, please contact Bill Howden at (202) 418-2343, email: whowden@fcc.gov or Susan Magnotti at (202) 418-0871, email: smagnott@fcc.gov . TTY: (202) 418-0484.
------------------------------- Information About CCL ------------------------------
Communication Certification Laboratory (CCL) is
a TCB, accredited by the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) to ISO Guide 65, and designated by the FCC to provide FCC
Part 68 certification grants as well as grants for Unlicensed
and Licensed Transmitters under the various FCC Rule Parts as
allowed under FCC GEN Docket 98-68. CCL is also a testing facility
accredited to ISO Guide 25 by the National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation Program (NVLAP) of the Department of Commerce’s
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
CCL will test your terminal equipment and either:
· Provide you with an FCC Part 68 Certification
Grant, or
· Prepare on your behalf an SDOC statement,
based on the same set of test results.
Either option can be tailored in accordance with your market
entry schedule. CCL has extensive Part 68 testing and certification
experience and has been involved in Part 68 testing and certification
since the program’s inception. CCL staff is actively involved
in the development and formulation of the technical criteria for
terminal equipment as well as in ACTA’s activities.
CCL will work with you to accommodate even the tightest schedule.
Contact Joe Jackson jwj@cclab.com
801-972-6146 x 1220, or Rich Winter rlw@cclab.com
801-972-6146 x 1218 for details.
------------------------------- Subscription
Information ------------------------------
Subscribe: To subscribe to this newsletter, just send an email
to
CCLNews-Request@CCLab.com
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject.
Unsubscribe: To Unsubscribe to this newsletter, just send an
email to
CCLNews-Request@CCLab.com
with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject.
For Comments or Suggestions send Email to: Info@mail.cclab.com
