Telecommunications Certification Bodies (TCB) Application Information

Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) Designation  
 

Designation of Prospective U.S. TCBs & Information for Active U.S. TCBs.
 

NIST is the Designating Authority of U.S. TCBs to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).  Prospective TCBs must apply through NIST.  NIST will review the information provided for completeness and designate qualified organizations to the FCC.  The FCC will review the documentation and work with NIST and the TCB to resolve any outstanding issues.  Recognition is issued by the FCC once all requirements have been met.

FCC References
 

The FCC’s administrative and technical requirements are outlined in the latest copy of the TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities document.

• Alternate instructions for locating the document:  Go to the FCC OET Knowledge Database and enter the TCB publication number 641163 under the KDB Publication Search Number.

The key information that the FCC will review for each TCB that is designated is listed in the FCC Mutual Recognition Agreement document, Section D10.  

• Alternate instructions for locating the document:  Go to the FCC OET Knowledge Database and enter the TCB publication number 901874 under the KDB Publication Search Number.

Section I:  Prospective TCBs - Application to NIST
 

Once the certification body has obtained ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation from one of the NIST-recognized domestic TCB accreditation bodies (A2LA or ANSI), the prospective TCB shall submit the following information to NIST via mra [at] nist.gov ().

1. TCB information 

a) Name of the Organization (TCB)
b) Address
c) Contact name, title, address (if different from above), email, and phone number
d) Identification number (to be assigned by NIST)
e) FCC Registration Number (FRN #) Prospective TCBs can obtain this FRN from the FCC website

2.  The TCBs ISO/IEC 17065 product certification Scope and Certificate of Accreditation.  These documents must include:

a) Name of accreditation body
b) Date of accreditation
c) Expiration date
d) Accreditation standard (ISO/IEC 17065)
e) Scope of Accreditation for the TCB program. Please refer to Table 1 of the TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities Document for details on the specific scopes (i.e. A1-A4, B1-B4, and C)

3.  The TCB’s ISO/IEC 17025 Scope and Certificate of Accreditation from its supporting testing laboratory.  These documents must include:

a) Name of lab accreditation body (must be from an FCC-recognized U.S. Test Firm Accreditation Body)
b) Date of accreditation
c) Expiration date
d) Accreditation Standard (ISO/IEC 17025)
e) Scope of laboratory accreditation for TCB scope requirements

4. The testing laboratory must be FCC recognized for core FCC testing.  NIST will verify that the supporting laboratory is included on the list of FCC-recognized test firms for the appropriate test methods to support the CB scope. See the FCC’s EAS Test Firm Search.

5.  The ISO/IEC 17065 Assessment Report and Deficiency Report issued by the accreditation body.

6.  Corrective action responses for deficiencies that were cited during the ISO/IEC 17065 assessment.

7. One of the following:

- A copy of the completed FCC TCB Checklist completed by the accreditation body assessor; or

- A written statement from the accreditation body containing the date and version of the FCC TCB Checklist and a statement that your organization complies with all applicable elements of the FCC TCB Checklist for your Scope of Accreditation.

For a TCB's initial assessment, the accreditor must, at a minimum, assess the TCB to all applicable elements of the FCC Checklist. For renewals and periodic surveillance assessments in between renewal assessments, the FCC Checklist can be used as a guide and does not need to be completed in its entirety. The accreditor shall maintain a copy of all checklists completed during assessments and shall provide a copy of the most recently completed checklist upon request.

8.  Specify the name(s), title(s), and e-mail addresses of TCB personnel that are qualified to perform the following functions:

a) Application Reviewer
b) EMC Reviewer
c) SAR Qualified Reviewer
d) General RF Exposure Reviewer
e) Decision Maker
f) Administrative Contact

Please include documented evidence that your ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation body has assessed each employee as qualified to perform the appropriate functions. Refer to Section K of the TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities.

Please send the above information to NIST electronically via mra [at] nist.gov (.)
 

Section II:  Active (FCC recognized) U.S. TCBs

Ensuring Continued Validity of the ISO/IEC 17065 Accreditation

NIST, as the Designating Authority for U.S. TCBs (to the FCC) is responsible for updating TCB accreditation information with the FCC. 

TCBs must provide NIST with a copy of the renewed ISO/IEC 17065 Scope and Certificate of Accreditation.

NIST will update the FCC EAS system with the information. 

If the information is not updated in time, the TCB will not be able to upload grants and it will be necessary for the FCC to reset the access.
 

Keeping the Key Employee List Up-to-Date
 

Reference:  FCC TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities document, FCC KDB 641163 D01,  Section K)  

NIST, as the Designating Authority for U.S. TCBs (to the FCC) is also responsible for updating the Key Employee list for TCBs.  This list must remain up-to-date in the FCC EAS system.

TCBs are required to notify NIST and their ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation body within 30 days if a Key Employee leaves the TCB or is no longer performing their approved roles.  

The TCB may be subject to a reassessment when there is a change in Key Employees that affects the technical competence of the TCB.

To add new Key Employees or expand the roles of existing Key Employees, TCBs must provide NIST with the following: (1) name, (2) email address, and (3) objective evidence (form, email, letter or report) from the ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation body confirming that the employee has been assessed and found competent for each of the roles requested.

Expanding the Scope of FCC Recognition

TCBs wishing to expand the scope of their FCC TCB recognition shall submit the relevant supporting information noted in 1-8 above to NIST via mra [at] nist.gov ().

Changing the ISO/IEC 17065 TCB Accreditation Body (AB)

TCBs that change the ISO/IEC 17065 AB used to support the FCC TCB recognition shall submit the relevant supporting information noted in 1-8 above to NIST via mra [at] nist.gov.

Changing the ISO/IEC 17025 Supporting Lab Accreditation Body (AB)

TCBs that change the ISO/IEC 17025 AB used for the TCB supporting lab on record with the FCC shall provide NIST with the following information:  

​​1. The TCB supporting lab’s ISO/IEC 17025 Scope and Certificate of Accreditation issued by the new AB. 

a. The supporting lab must be designated to the FCC by the new AB and be a FCC-recognized test firm for the appropriate core FCC testing to support the TCB scope(s).

b. See the FCC’s EAS Test Firm Search.

2. A letter from the TCB’s ISO/IEC 17065 AB attesting to the following: 

a. The ISO/IEC 17065 AB has reviewed the ISO/IEC 17025 Scope of Accreditation issued by the new ISO/IEC 17025 AB and confirms that the Scope meets all FCC-required core testing requirements to support the TCB’s FCC Scopes per the TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities document.

b. The TCB continues to meet all requirements in the FCC TCB Checklist, including those that apply to the TCB supporting lab. The letter must either reference the date of the last checklist completed or the TCB AB can complete and submit a new one. The FCC does not accept partial checklists.

This information will be submitted to the FCC for their consideration.

Changing the Supporting Lab on Record at the FCC

TCBs wishing to change their supporting lab on record must provide the following to NIST via mra [at] nist.gov.  

1. A letter from the TCB’s ISO/IEC 17065 Accreditation Body attesting to the following: 

a. The AB has reviewed the ISO/IEC 17025 Scope of the new location and it meets all FCC-required core testing requirements to support the TCB’s FCC Scopes per the TCB Program Roles and Responsibilities document.

b. The AB has reviewed the relevant contractual arrangements/agreements and any other ownership information (if relevant) and has found that there are no issues regarding conflict of interest and impartiality vis-à-vis the ownership of the supporting lab or TCB.

c. The TCB continues to meet all requirements in the FCC TCB Checklist, including those that apply to the TCB supporting lab. The letter must either reference the date of the last checklist completed or the TCB AB can complete and submit a new one. The FCC does not accept partial checklists.

2. The ISO/IEC 17065 Scope and Certificate.

3. The ISO/IEC 17025 Scope and Certificate of the new supporting lab.

This information will be submitted to the FCC for their consideration.

List of Active TCBs
 

To view the FCC-recognized TCBs located in the United States, follow these instructions:

(1) Go to the FCC OET Database Link

(2) On the left navigation bar, select the TCB Search link under the Reports tab

(3) Select the desired Country on the dropdown bar. Leave all other spaces blank in General Information

(4) Hit the Search usa-button

The resulting list will include each TCB located in the relevant Country that is recognized by the FCC. Note that each TCB may be listed multiple times - once for each scope of recognition (such as A1, A2, etc.) it has.