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Requirements for NIST Designation of U.S. Conformity Assessment Bodies
NIST, through the Telecom MRA program office (mra [at] nist.gov (mra[at]nist[dot]gov)), designates qualified U.S accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs) to telecom regulatory authorities for specific conformity assessment activities.
The regulatory authority or other responsible party issues a formal recognition for qualified CABs and then accepts the CAB’s relevant conformity assessment results in accordance with (1) the scope of conformity assessment activities covered by the CAB’s recognition and (2) the economy’s regulatory scheme.
The administrative and technical requirements for each economy, and the NIST designation application instructions can be viewed by selecting the link in the second column of TABLE 1.
TABLE 1: List of Economies & Designation Requirements
Regulatory Authority/Responsible Party*
Economy | Designation Requirements | Additional Information |
Designation of U.S. TCBs to the FCC | ||
| United States | ||
| Federal Communication Commission (FCC) | Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs) | NIST designates qualified accredited U.S. Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs) to the FCC. Please refer to the FCC TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities Document. Search the database of FCC Recognized TCBs here. The process of FCC testing laboratory recognition is not administered by NIST. Please refer to the FCC Accredited Testing Laboratory Program Roles and Responsibilities Document . Search the database of all FCC Recognized Labs here. |
Designation of NBs | ||
| European Union | ||
| European Commission (EC)* on behalf of the regulatory authorities of the Member States. | Notified Body (NB) Requirements | EMC Directive (EMCD) Radio Equipment Directive (RED) |
| United Kingdom | ||
| Department for Business and Trade | UK Approved Body Requirements | Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations (SI 2016/1091) Radio Equipment Regulations (SI 2017/1206) |
Designation of Labs and CBs to Foreign MRA Partners | ||
| Australia | ||
| Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |
| Canada | ||
| Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Testing Laboratory & Certification Body Requirements | |
| Chinese Taipei | ||
| Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |
| National Communications Commission (NCC) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |
| Hong Kong | ||
| Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) | Testing Laboratory & Certification Body Requirements | |
| Israel | ||
Ministry of Communications (MOC) Ministry of Economy (MoE) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |
| Japan | ||
| VCCI* | Testing Laboratory Requirements | The VCCI registration process is not administered by NIST. |
| Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) | Certification Body Requirements | |
| Korea | ||
| National Radio Research Agency (RRA) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |
| Malaysia | ||
| Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | NIST Designation and MCMC Recognition not required |
| Mexico | ||
| Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | IFT recognition is only available for 3rd Party Testing Laboratories. |
| New Zealand | ||
| Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | NIST Designation and MBIE Recognition not required |
| Singapore | ||
| Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) | Testing Laboratory & Certification Body Requirements | |
| Vietnam | ||
| Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) | Testing Laboratory Requirements | |