Collapse to view only § 68.160 - Designation of Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs).

§ 68.100 - General.

In accordance with the rules and regulations in this part, terminal equipment may be directly connected to the public switched telephone network, including private line services provided over wireline facilities that are owned by providers of wireline telecommunications.

[66 FR 7581, Jan. 24, 2001]

§ 68.102 - Terminal equipment approval requirement.

Terminal equipment must be approved in accordance with the rules and regulations in subpart C of this part, or connected through protective circuitry that is approved in accordance with the rules and regulations in subpart C.

[66 FR 7582, Jan. 24, 2001]

§ 68.105 - Minimum point of entry (MPOE) and demarcation point.

(a) Facilities at the demarcation point. Carrier-installed facilities at, or constituting, the demarcation point shall consist of wire or a jack conforming to the technical criteria published by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments.

(b) Minimum point of entry. The “minimum point of entry” (MPOE) as used herein shall be either the closest practicable point to where the wiring crosses a property line or the closest practicable point to where the wiring enters a multiunit building or buildings. The reasonable and nondiscriminatory standard operating practices of the provider of wireline telecommunications services shall determine which shall apply. The provider of wireline telecommunications services is not precluded from establishing reasonable classifications of multiunit premises for purposes of determining which shall apply. Multiunit premises include, but are not limited to, residential, commercial, shopping center and campus situations.

(c) Single unit installations. For single unit installations existing as of August 13, 1990, and installations installed after that date the demarcation point shall be a point within 30 cm (12 in) of the protector or, where there is no protector, within 30 cm (12 in) of where the telephone wire enters the customer's premises, or as close thereto as practicable.

(d) Multiunit installations. (1) In multiunit premises existing as of August 13, 1990, the demarcation point shall be determined in accordance with the local carrier's reasonable and non-discriminatory standard operating practices. Provided, however, that where there are multiple demarcation points within the multiunit premises, a demarcation point for a customer shall not be further inside the customer's premises than a point twelve inches from where the wiring enters the customer's premises, or as close thereto as practicable.

(2) In multiunit premises in which wiring is installed, including major additions or rearrangements of wiring existing prior to that date, the provider of wireline telecommunications may place the demarcation point at the minimum point of entry (MPOE). If the provider of wireline telecommunications services does not elect to establish a practice of placing the demarcation point at the minimum point of entry, the multiunit premises owner shall determine the location of the demarcation point or points. The multiunit premises owner shall determine whether there shall be a single demarcation point location for all customers or separate such locations for each customer. Provided, however, that where there are multiple demarcation points within the multiunit premises, a demarcation point for a customer shall not be further inside the customer's premises than a point 30 cm (12 in) from where the wiring enters the customer's premises, or as close thereto as practicable. At the time of installation, the provider of wireline telecommunications services shall fully inform the premises owner of its options and rights regarding the placement of the demarcation point or points and shall not attempt to unduly influence that decision for the purpose of obstructing competitive entry.

(3) In any multiunit premises where the demarcation point is not already at the MPOE, the provider of wireline telecommunications services must comply with a request from the premises owner to relocate the demarcation point to the MPOE. The provider of wireline telecommunications services must negotiate terms in good faith and complete the negotiations within forty-five days from said request. Premises owners may file complaints with the Commission for resolution of allegations of bad faith bargaining by provider of wireline telecommunications services. See 47 U.S.C. 208, 47 CFR 1.720 through 1.740.

(4) The provider of wireline telecommunications services shall make available information on the location of the demarcation point within ten business days of a request from the premises owner. If the provider of wireline telecommunications services does not provide the information within that time, the premises owner may presume the demarcation point to be at the MPOE. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 68.110(b), provider of wireline telecommunications services must make this information freely available to the requesting premises owner.

(5) In multiunit premises with more than one customer, the premises owner may adopt a policy restricting a customer's access to wiring on the premises to only that wiring located in the customer's individual unit that serves only that particular customer.

[66 FR 7582, Jan. 24, 2001; 67 FR 60167, Sept. 25, 2002; 83 FR 31677, July 9, 2018; 83 FR 44843, Sept. 4, 2018]

§ 68.106 - Notification to provider of wireline telecommunications.

(a) General. Customers connecting terminal equipment or protective circuitry to the public switched telephone network shall, upon request of the provider of wireline telecommunications, inform the provider of wireline telecommunications of the particular line(s) to which such connection is made, and any other information required to be placed on the terminal equipment pursuant to § 68.354 of this part by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments.

(b) Systems assembled of combinations of individually-approved terminal equipment and protective circuitry. Customers connecting such assemblages to the public switched telephone network shall, upon the request of the provider of wireline telecommunications, provide to the provider of wireline telecommunications the following information:

For each line:

(1) Information required for compatible operation of the equipment with the communications facilities of the provider of wireline telecommunications;

(2) The identifying information required to be placed on terminal equipment pursuant to § 68.354 for all equipment dedicated to that line; and

(3) Any other information regarding equipment dedicated to that line required to be placed on the terminal equipment by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments.

(4) A list of identifying numbers required to be placed on terminal equipment, if any, by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments, pursuant to § 68.354 of this part, for equipment to be used in the system.

(c) Systems using other than “fully protected” premises wiring. Customers who intend to connect premises wiring other than “fully protected” premises wiring to the public switched telephone network shall, in addition to the foregoing, give notice to the provider of wireline telecommunications in accordance with § 68.215(e).

[66 FR 7582, Jan. 24, 2001]

§ 68.108 - Incidence of harm.

Should terminal equipment, inside wiring, plugs and jacks, or protective circuitry cause harm to the public switched telephone network, or should the provider of wireline telecommunications reasonably determine that such harm is imminent, the provider of wireline telecommunications shall, where practicable, notify the customer that temporary discontinuance of service may be required; however, wherever prior notice is not practicable, the provider of wireline telecommunications may temporarily discontinue service forthwith, if such action is reasonable under the circumstances. In case of such temporary discontinuance, the provider of wireline telecommunications shall:

(a) Promptly notify the customer of such temporary discontinuance;

(b) Afford the customer the opportunity to correct the situation which gave rise to the temporary discontinuance; and

(c) Inform the customer of his right to bring a complaint to the Commission pursuant to the procedures set forth in subpart E of this part.

[55 FR 28630, July 12, 1990, as amended at 66 FR 7583, Jan. 24, 2001]

§ 68.110 - Compatibility of the public switched telephone network and terminal equipment.

(a) Availability of interface information. Technical information concerning interface parameters not specified by the technical criteria published by the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments, that are needed to permit terminal equipment to operate in a manner compatible with the communications facilities of a provider of wireline telecommunications, shall be provided by the provider of wireline telecommunications upon request.

(b) Availability of inside wiring information. Any available technical information concerning wiring on the customer side of the demarcation point, including copies of existing schematic diagrams and service records, shall be provided by the provider of wireline telecommunications upon request of the building owner or agent thereof. The provider of wireline telecommunications may charge the building owner a reasonable fee for this service, which shall not exceed the cost involved in locating and copying the documents. In the alternative, the provider of wireline telecommunications may make these documents available for review and copying by the building owner. In this case, the provider of wireline telecommunications may charge a reasonable fee, which shall not exceed the cost involved in making the documents available, and may also require the building owner to pay a deposit to guarantee the documents' return.

[66 FR 7583, Jan. 24, 2001, as amended at 83 FR 31677, July 9, 2018]

§ 68.112 - Hearing aid-compatibility.

(a) Coin telephones. All new and existing coin-operated telephones, whether located on public property or in a semi-public location (e.g., drugstore, gas station, private club).

(b) Emergency use telephones. Telephones “provided for emergency use” include the following:

(1) Telephones, except headsets, in places where a person with a hearing disability might be isolated in an emergency, including, but not limited to, elevators, highways, and tunnels for automobile, railway or subway, and workplace common areas.

Note to paragraph (b)(1):

Examples of workplace common areas include libraries, reception areas and similar locations where employees are reasonably expected to congregate.

(2) Telephones specifically installed to alert emergency authorities, including, but not limited to, police or fire departments or medical assistance personnel.

(3) Telephones, except headsets, in workplace non-common areas. Note: Examples of workplace non-common areas include private enclosed offices, open area individual work stations and mail rooms. Such non-common area telephones are required to be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, by January 1, 2000, except for those telephones located in establishments with fewer than fifteen employees; and those telephones purchased between January 1, 1985 through December 31, 1989, which are not required to be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, until January 1, 2005.

(i) Telephones, including headsets, made available to an employee with a hearing disability for use by that employee in his or her employment duty, shall, however, be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316.

(ii) As of January 1, 2000 or January 1, 2005, whichever date is applicable, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that all telephones located in the workplace are hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316. Any person who identifies a telephone as non-hearing aid-compatible, as defined in § 68.316, may rebut this presumption. Such telephone must be replaced within fifteen working days with a hearing aid compatible telephone, as defined in § 68.316, including, on or after January 1, 2000, with volume control, as defined in § 68.317.

(iii) Telephones, not including headsets, except those headsets furnished under paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section, that are purchased, or replaced with newly acquired telephones, must be:

(A) Hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, after October 23, 1996; and

(B) Include volume control, as defined in § 68.317, on or after January 1, 2000.

(iv) When a telephone under paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this section is replaced with a telephone from inventory existing before October 23, 1996, any person may make a bona fide request that such telephone be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316. If the replacement occurs on or after January 1, 2000, the telephone must have volume control, as defined in § 68.317. The telephone shall be provided within fifteen working days.

(v) During the period from October 23, 1996, until the applicable date of January 1, 2000 or January 1, 2005, workplaces of fifteen or more employees also must provide and designate telephones for emergency use by employees with hearing disabilities through one or more of the following means:

(A) By having at least one coin-operated telephone, one common area telephone or one other designated hearing aid compatible telephone within a reasonable and accessible distance for an individual searching for a telephone from any point in the workplace; or

(B) By providing wireless telephones that meet the definition for hearing aid compatible for wireline telephones, as defined in § 68.316, for use by employees in their employment duty outside common areas and outside the offices of employees with hearing disabilities.

(4) All credit card operated telephones, whether located on public property or in a semipublic location (e.g., drugstore, gas station, private club), unless a hearing aid compatible (as defined in § 68.316) coin-operated telephone providing similar services is nearby and readily available. However, regardless of coin-operated telephone availability, all credit card operated telephones must be made hearing aid-compatible, as defined in § 68.316, when replaced, or by May 1, 1991, which ever comes sooner.

(5) Telephones needed to signal life threatening or emergency situations in confined settings, including but not limited to, rooms in hospitals, residential health care facilities for senior citizens, and convalescent homes:

(i) A telephone that is hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, is not required until:

(A) November 1, 1997, for establishments with fifty or more beds, unless replaced before that time; and

(B) November 1, 1998, for all other establishments with fewer than fifty beds, unless replaced before that time.

(ii) Telephones that are purchased, or replaced with newly acquired telephones, must be:

(A) Hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.116, after October 23, 1996; and

(B) Include volume control, as defined in § 68.317, on or after January 1, 2000.

(iii) Unless a telephone in a confined setting is replaced pursuant to paragraph (b)(5)(ii) of this section, a hearing aid compatible telephone shall not be required if:

(A) A telephone is both purchased and maintained by a resident for use in that resident's room in the establishment; or

(B) The confined setting has an alternative means of signalling life-threatening or emergency situations that is available, working and monitored.

(6) Telephones in hotel and motel guest rooms, and in any other establishment open to the general public for the purpose of overnight accommodation for a fee. Such telephones are required to be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, except that, for establishments with eighty or more guest rooms, the telephones are not required to be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, until November 1, 1998; and for establishments with fewer than eighty guest rooms, the telephones are not required to be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, until November 1, 1999.

(i) Anytime after October 23, 1996, if a hotel or motel room is renovated or newly constructed, or the telephone in a hotel or motel room is replaced or substantially, internally repaired, the telephone in that room must be:

(A) Hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, after October 23, 1996; and

(B) Include volume control, as defined in § 68.317, on or after January 1, 2000.

(ii) The telephones in at least twenty percent of the guest rooms in a hotel or motel must be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, as of April 1, 1997.

(iii) Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (b)(6) of this section, hotels and motels which use telephones purchased during the period January 1, 1985 through December 31, 1989 may provide telephones that are hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, in guest rooms according to the following schedule:

(A) The telephones in at least twenty percent of the guest rooms in a hotel or motel must be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, as of April 1, 1997;

(B) The telephones in at least twenty-five percent of the guest rooms in a hotel or motel must be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, by November 1, 1999; and

(C) The telephones in one-hundred percent of the guest rooms in a hotel or motel must be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, by January 1, 2001 for establishments with eighty or more guest rooms, and by January 1, 2004 for establishments with fewer than eighty guest rooms.

(c) Telephones frequently needed by the hearing impaired. Closed circuit telephones, i.e., telephones which cannot directly access the public switched network, such as telephones located in lobbies of hotels or apartment buildings; telephones in stores which are used by patrons to order merchandise; telephones in public transportation terminals which are used to call taxis or to reserve rental automobiles, need not be hearing aid compatible, as defined in § 68.316, until replaced.

[49 FR 1362, Jan. 11, 1984, as amended at 55 FR 28763, July 13, 1990; 57 FR 27183, June 18, 1992; 61 FR 42186, Aug. 14, 1996; 61 FR 42392, Aug. 15, 1996; 62 FR 43484, Aug. 14, 1997; 62 FR 51064, Sep. 30, 1997]

§ 68.160 - Designation of Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs).

(a) The Commission may recognize designated Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs) which have been designated according to the requirements of paragraphs (b) or (c) of this section to certify equipment as required under this part. Certification of equipment by a TCB shall be based on an application with all the information specified in this part. The TCB shall process the application to determine compliance with the Commission's requirements and shall issue a written grant of equipment authorization. The grant shall identify the approving TCB and the Commission as the issuing authority.

(b) In the United States, TCBs shall be accredited and designated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) under its National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Evaluation (NVCASE) program, or other recognized programs based on ISO/IEC 17065:2012, to comply with the Commission's qualification criteria for TCBs. NIST may, in accordance with its procedures, allow other appropriately qualified accrediting bodies to accredit TCBs. TCBs shall comply with the requirements in § 68.162 of this part.

(c) In accordance with the terms of an effective bilateral or multilateral mutual recognition agreement or arrangement (MRA) to which the United States is a party, bodies outside the United States shall be permitted to authorize equipment in lieu of the Commission. A body in an MRA partner economy may authorize equipment to U.S. requirements only if that economy permits bodies in the United States to authorize equipment to its requirements. The authority designating these telecommunication certification bodies shall meet the following criteria.

(1) The organization accrediting the prospective telecommunication certification body shall be capable of meeting the requirements and conditions of ISO/IEC 17011:2004.

(2) The organization assessing the telecommunication certification body shall appoint a team of qualified experts to perform the assessment covering all of the elements within the scope of accreditation. For assessment of telecommunications equipment, the areas of expertise to be used during the assessment shall include, but not be limited to, electromagnetic compatibility and telecommunications equipment (wired and wireless).

(d) Incorporation by reference. (1) The material listed in this paragraph (d) is incorporated by reference in this section with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the FCC must publish a document in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved incorporation by reference (IBR) material is available for inspection at the FCC and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Contact the FCC through the Federal Communications Commission's Reference Information Center, phone: (202) 418-0270. For information on the availability of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html or email [email protected]. The material may be obtained from the source in paragraph (d)(2) of this section.

(2) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), IEC Central Office, 3, rue de Varembe, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, Email: [email protected],www.iec.ch or International Organization for Standardization (ISO), 1, ch. De la Voie-Creuse, CP 56, CH-1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland; www.iso.org; Tel.: + 41 22 749 01 11; Fax: + 41 22 733 34 30; email: [email protected] . (ISO publications can also be purchased from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its NSSN operation (www.nssn.org), at Customer Service, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, telephone (212) 642-4900.)

(i) ISO/IEC 17011:2004(E), “Conformity assessment—General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies,” First Edition, 2004-09-01, IBR approved for § 68.160(c).

(ii) ISO/IEC 17065:2012(E), “Conformity assessment—Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services,” First Edition, 2012-09-15.

[64 FR 4997, Feb. 2, 1999, as amended at 80 FR 33447, June 12, 2015; 85 FR 64408, Oct. 13, 2020; 88 FR 21445, Apr. 10, 2023]

§ 68.162 - Requirements for Telecommunication Certification Bodies.

(a) Telecommunication certification bodies (TCBs) designated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or designated by another authority pursuant to an bilateral or multilateral mutual recognition agreement or arrangement to which the United States is a party, shall comply with the following requirements.

(b) Certification methodology. (1) The certification system shall be based on type testing as identified in ISO/IEC 17065.

(2) Certification shall normally be based on testing no more than one unmodified representative sample of each product type for which certification is sought. Additional samples may be requested if clearly warranted, such as when certain tests are likely to render a sample inoperative.

(c) Criteria for designation. (1) To be designated as a TCB under this section, an entity shall, by means of accreditation, meet all the appropriate specifications in ISO/IEC 17065 for the scope of equipment it will certify. The accreditation shall specify the group of equipment to be certified and the applicable regulations for product evaluation.

(2) The TCB shall demonstrate expert knowledge of the regulations for each product with respect to which the body seeks designation. Such expertise shall include familiarity with all applicable technical regulations, administrative provisions or requirements, as well as the policies and procedures used in the application thereof.

(3) The TCB shall have the technical expertise and capability to test the equipment it will certify and shall also be accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 to demonstrate it is competent to perform such tests.

(4) The TCB shall demonstrate an ability to recognize situations where interpretations of the regulations or test procedures may be necessary. The appropriate key certification and laboratory personnel shall demonstrate knowledge of how to obtain current and correct technical regulation interpretations. The competence of the telecommunication certification body shall be demonstrated by assessment. The general competence, efficiency, experience, familiarity with technical regulations and products included in those technical regulations, as well as compliance with applicable parts of the ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17065 shall be taken into consideration.

(5) A TCB shall participate in any consultative activities, identified by the Commission or NIST, to facilitate a common understanding and interpretation of applicable regulations.

(6) The Commission will provide public notice of specific elements of these qualification criteria that will be used to accredit TCBs.

(d) External resources. (1) In accordance with the provisions of ISO/IEC 17065 the evaluation of a product, or a portion thereof, may be performed by bodies that meet the applicable requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17065, in accordance with the applicable provisions of ISO/IEC 17065, for external resources (outsourcing) and other relevant standards. Evaluation is the selection of applicable requirements and the determination that those requirements are met. Evaluation may be performed by using internal TCB resources or external (outsourced) resources.

(2) A recognized TCB shall not outsource review and certification decision activities.

(3) When external resources are used to provide the evaluation function, including the testing of equipment subject to certification, the TCB shall be responsible for the evaluation and shall maintain appropriate oversight of the external resources used to ensure reliability of the evaluation. Such oversight shall include periodic audits of products that have been tested and other activities as required in ISO/IEC 17065 when a certification body uses external resources for evaluation.

(e) Recognition of TCBs. (1)(i) The Commission will recognize as a TCB any organization that meets the qualification criteria and is accredited and designated by NIST or its recognized accreditor as provided in § 68.160(b).

(ii) The Commission will recognize as a TCB any organization outside the United States that meets the qualification criteria and is designated pursuant to an bilateral or multilateral Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) as provided in § 68.160(c).

(2) The Commission will withdraw the recognition of a TCB if the TCB's accreditation or designation by NIST or its recognized accreditor is withdrawn, if the Commission determines there is just cause for withdrawing the recognition, or if the TCB requests that it no longer hold the recognition. The Commission will limit the scope of equipment that can be certified by a TCB if its accreditor limits the scope of its accreditation or if the Commission determines there is good cause to do so. The Commission will notify a TCB in writing of its intention to withdraw or limit the scope of the TCB's recognition and provide a TCB with at least 60 day notice of its intention to withdraw the recognition and provide the TCB with an opportunity to respond. In the case of a TCB designated and recognized pursuant to an bilateral or multilateral MRA, the Commission shall consult with the Office of United States Trade Representative (USTR), as necessary, concerning any disputes arising under an MRA for compliance with the Telecommunications Trade Act of 1988 (Section 1371-1382 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988).

(3) The Commission may request that a TCB's Designating Authority or accreditation body investigate and take appropriate corrective actions as required, when it has concerns or evidence that the TCB is not certifying equipment in accordance with Commission rules or ACTA requirements, and the Commission may initiate action to limit or withdraw the recognition of the TCB.

(4) If the Commission withdraws the recognition of a TCB, all certifications issued by that TCB will remain valid unless specifically revoked by the Commission.

(5) A list of recognized TCBs will be published by the Commission.

(f) Scope of responsibility. (1) TCBs shall certify equipment in accordance with the Commission's rules and policies.

(2) A TCB shall accept test data from any source, subject to the requirements in ISO/IEC 17065 and shall not unnecessarily repeat tests.

(3) TCBs may establish and assess fees for processing certification applications and other tasks as required by the Commission.

(4) A TCB may rescind a grant of certification within 30 days of grant for administrative errors. After that time, a grant can only be revoked by the Commission. A TCB shall notify both the applicant and the Commission when a grant is rescinded.

(5) A TCB may not:

(i) Grant a waiver of Commission rules or technical criteria published by the Administrative Council, or certify equipment for which Commission rules or requirements, or technical criteria do not exist, or for which the application of the rules or requirements, or technical criteria is unclear.

(ii) Take enforcement actions.

(6) All TCB actions are subject to Commission review.

(g) Post-certification requirements. (1) A Telecommunications Certification Body shall supply a copy of each approved application form and grant of certification to the Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments.

(2) In accordance with ISO/IEC 17065 a TCB is required to conduct appropriate surveillance activities. These activities shall be based on type testing a few samples of the total number of product types which the certification body has certified. Other types of surveillance activities of a product that has been certified are permitted provided they are no more onerous than testing type. The Commission may at any time request a list of products certified by the certification body and may request and receive copies of product evaluation reports. The Commission may also request that a TCB perform post-market surveillance, under Commission guidelines, of a specific product it has certified.

(3) The Commission may request that a grantee of equipment certification submit a sample directly to the TCB that performed the original certification for evaluation. Any equipment samples requested by the Commission and tested by a TCB will be counted toward the minimum number of samples that the TCB must test.

(4) A TCBs may request samples of equipment that they have certified directly from the grantee of certification.

(5) If during, post-market surveillance of a certified product, a certification body determines that a product fails to comply with the applicable technical regulations, the certification body shall immediately notify the grantee and the Commission. The TCB shall provide a follow-up report to the Commission within 30 days of reporting the non-compliance by the grantee to describe the resolution or plan to resolve the situation.

(6) Where concerns arise, the TCB shall provide a copy of the application file to the Commission within 30 calendar days of a request for the file made by the Commission to the TCB and the manufacturer. Where appropriate, the file should be accompanied by a request for confidentiality for any material that may qualify for confidential treatment under the Commission's rules. If the application file is not provided within 30 calendar days, a statement shall be provided to the Commission as to why it cannot be provided.

(h) In the case of a dispute with respect to designation or recognition of a TCB and the testing or certification of products by a TCB, the Commission will be the final arbiter. Manufacturers and recognized TCBs will be afforded at least 60 days to comment before a decision is reached. In the case of a TCB designated or recognized, or a product certified pursuant to an bilateral or multilateral mutual recognition agreement or arrangement (MRA) to which the United States is a party, the Commission may limit or withdraw its recognition of a TCB designated by an MRA party and revoke the Certification of products using testing or certification provided by such a TCB. The Commission shall consult with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), as necessary, concerning any disputes arising under an MRA for compliance with under the Telecommunications Trade Act of 1988.

(i) Incorporation by reference. The material listed in this paragraph (i) is incorporated by reference in this section with the approval of the Director of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To enforce any edition other than that specified in this section, the FCC must publish a document in the Federal Register and the material must be available to the public. All approved incorporation by reference (IBR) material is available for inspection at the FCC and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Contact the FCC through the Federal Communications Commission's Reference Information Center, phone: (202) 418-0270. For information on the availability of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html or email [email protected]. The material may be obtained from the following source in this paragraph (i):

(1) International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Ch. de Blandonnet 8, CP 401, CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva, Switzerland; phone: + 41 22 749 01 11; fax: + 41 22 749 09 47; email: [email protected]; website: www.iso.org.

(i) ISO/IEC 17025:2017(E), General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, Third Edition, November 2017.

(ii) ISO/IEC 17065:2012(E), Conformity assessment—Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services, First Edition, 2012-09-15.

(2) [Reserved]

Note 1 to paragraph (i):

The standards listed in paragraphs (i) of this section are also available from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036; phone (212) 642-4980; email [email protected]; website: https://webstore.ansi.org/.

[64 FR 4998, Feb. 2, 1999, as amended at 66 FR 27601, May 18, 2001; 67 FR 57182, Sept. 9, 2002; 80 FR 33448, June 12, 2015; 85 FR 64408, Oct. 13, 2020; 88 FR 21445, Apr. 10, 2023; 88 FR 67116, Sept. 29, 2023]