30th October 2026 – (Washington) The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved measures to block laboratories and certification bodies in countries that do not grant reciprocal treatment to US facilities from testing and certifying electronic devices for sale in the United States. The decision, which covers products such as smartphones, cameras and computers, expands the agency’s earlier actions aimed at tightening national‑security scrutiny of technology entering the US market and is slated to come into force in December 2028. The move will require manufacturers to shift compliance work to the United States or to jurisdictions with mutual recognition arrangements.
The FCC framed the policy as a reciprocity standard that, in practice, would bar Chinese test houses from participating in US approvals. Officials have previously said a large share of devices destined for America have been tested in mainland China, a concentration the commission now seeks to unwind over a multi‑year transition. The vote follows recent steps in which the FCC began blocking products on the basis of restricted “surveillance” chipsets rather than only by brand, signalling a broader enforcement posture toward supply‑chain risks.
Commission leadership has argued the overhaul will reduce reliance on facilities the agency views as unreliable, while giving domestic and allied‑country labs time to add capacity. Brendan Carr, the FCC’s chair since 2025, has been a prominent advocate of tougher measures in this area, and the commission in recent months opened proceedings to withdraw recognition from several China‑based labs it said were state‑linked or controlled.
The vote arrived against a backdrop of escalating policy frictions over advanced technology. Earlier this year, China announced counter‑measures, including tighter export controls on certain hardware and steps targeting US compliance and testing firms, after US agencies moved to restrict Chinese components and certification pathways.
