FCC Should Reject Costly Electronic Device Testing Lab Restrictions

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intends to vote October 29 on a plan that would “ limit the FCC’s recognition of Test Labs to those located in the United States or in countries that grant U.S. labs reciprocal recognition.” The misguided plan would result in shipping delays and higher testing costs, which would increase costs for consumers.

The FCC’s equipment authorization process requires many electronic devices that emit radiofrequency energy (including smartphones, computers, wireless routers, and connected devices) to demonstrate compliance with FCC technical requirements.

In an X post, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that less than 4 percent of electronics used by Americans are tested domestically, and that more than 80 percent of U.S. consumer devices are tested at labs in countries that ban all devices tested in the U.S. or in any country other than their own.

Carr and previous chair Jessica Rosenworcel have argued that some labs pose security risks. Both supported a proposal in 2024 to exclude ostensibly untrustworthy testing labs and certification bodies, particularly those connected to foreign adversaries. The FCC would go on to adopt new rules barring certain laboratories from participating in the authorization process, including proceedings against seven Chinese government-controlled labs.

Now, Carr seeks a more wide-ranging ban on most authorization labs to bring that testing back to the U.S.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a trade group that represents technology companies, urges the FCC to adopt a more targeted, risk-based approach as it looks to change its equipment authorization program. ITI argues that overly broad measures could disrupt supply chains throughout the technology ecosystem without delivering clear national security benefits.

“Security and innovation are not competing goals,” said ITI Executive Vice President of Policy and General Counsel John Miller. “Technology should not be treated as inherently risky simply because it is manufactured outside the United States. Broad Covered List additions that scope in all foreign-produced technologies undermine trusted global supply chains and risk sweeping in products that present no demonstrated security concern.”

In previous comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on international standards and trade barriers, ITI argued that requiring testing within individual countries can create redundant procedures, increase costs, delay product launches, and function as a protectionist trade barrier.

If the FCC plan is put into place, the economic implications could be substantial. Moving testing to the U.S. or other qualifying countries would likely require expanded laboratory capacity, equipment investment, and additional workers.

A better plan is the current plan: targeted security restrictions and the continued implementation of internationally recognized testing arrangements.