FCC Wants to Ban Some Chinese Labs From Testing US-Bound Electronics

The Federal Communications Commission will vote this month on whether to ban some testing labs based in China from approving electronics products meant for import to the US. The May 22 vote could affect products ranging from smartphones to game consoles to cameras that manufacturers pay to have tested for safety, performances and standards such as radio frequency interference. According to the FCC, 75% of this kind of electronics testing is done out of labs based in China. "While the FCC now includes national security checks in our equipment authorization process, we have not had rules on the books that require the test labs conducting those reviews to be trustworthy actors," wrote Brendan Carr, chair of the FCC, in a post about the vote and other upcoming FCC actions. Carr said currently "bad labs" participate in the approval and testing process, a loophole he said the vote would help close. "The order would adopt a rule that prohibits test labs from participating in the FCC's equ ... Read full article.