The FCC logo or the FCC mark is a voluntary mark employed on electronic products manufactured or sold in the United States which indicates that the electromagnetic radiation from the device is below the limits specified by the Federal Communications Commission and the manufacturer has followed the requirements of the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity authorization procedures.[1][2][3] The FCC label is found even on products sold outside the US territory, because they are either products manufactured in the US and had been exported, or they are also sold in the US. This makes the FCC label recognizable worldwide even to people to whom the name of the agency is not familiar.[4][5]
| FCC mark | |
|---|---|
 The FCC mark | |
| Standards organization | Federal Communications Commission |
| Effective region | United States |
| Product category | Electronic equipment. |
| Legal status | Bears no legal weight[citation needed] |
Formerly, devices classified under part 15 or part 18 of the FCC regulations were required to be labelled with the FCC mark, but in November 2017 the mark was made optional. Devices must still be accompanied by a Supplier's Declaration of Conformity[6] (FCC Declaration of Conformity). The responsible party for the Supplier's Declaration of Conformity must be located within the United States.[7]
Overview
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The Federal Communications Commission established the regulations on electromagnetic interference under Part 15 of the FCC rules in 1975. After several amendments over the years, these regulation were reconstituted as the Declaration of Conformity and Certification procedures in 1998.
The FCC mark is a stand-alone logo (as shown above) for devices falling under part 18 of Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations, for devices falling under part 15 rules, along with the logo, the label should display other data, viz., the trade name of the product, the model number, and information about whether the device was tested after assembling, or assembled from tested components.[2][8] Electronic labeling is an alternative for devices equipped with a display.[9]
Even though most of the nations exporting electronic equipment into the US market have their own standards for EMI as well as independent certification and conformity marks (e.g.: The CCC certification mark for China, the VCCI (Voluntary Council for Control of Interference) mark for Japan, the KC mark by the Korea Communications Commission for South Korea, the ANATEL mark for Brazil, and the BSMI mark for Taiwan), most of the products still sold in these markets hold the FCC label. Electronic products sold in parts of Asia and Africa hold the FCC label even though it holds no legal significance, and also without any means to verify whether they actually conform to the specified standards or not.[citation needed]
Canada's regulating body is called Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) - formally Industry Canada (IC). Products sold in Canada may have the FCC declaration and/or the CE declaration, however, neither declaration has any legal significance in Canada.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Federal Communications Commission. FCC ID Help. Archived December 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Compliance Engineering magazine. 'Inside FCC Part 15 and Canada's Corresponding Standards By Roland W. Gubisch'. Archived January 13, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Federal Communications Commission. FCC-Approved Equipment Labels for Part 15 and Part 18 devices. Labelling guidelines, user information requirements and print-resolution labels.
- ^ Smokinapps.com 'What do the symbols on the back of the iPhone mean?'
- ^ TÜV SÜD. 'FCC Certification.'
- ^ 82 FR 50830
- ^ "C.F.R. Title 47, §2.1077".
- ^ Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology. 'Understanding The Fcc Regulations For Low-Power, Non-Licensed Transmitters'.
- ^ "FCC guidance for labeling KDB". FCC OET.