On October 8, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the third proposed report and draft order in a series of amendments to the "Equipment Authorization Integrity" regulatory series, proposing to prohibit the establishment of testing laboratories and telecommunications certification bodies (TCBs) in "non-reciprocal countries." This topic has been included in the agenda of the FCC's public meeting on October 29, 2026. According to the proposed "Third Report and Directive," if the relevant country or region has not signed a Mutual Recognition of Conformity Agreement (MRA) or Reciprocal Trade Agreement with the U.S., the FCC will no longer recognize testing laboratories, telecommunications certification bodies, or laboratory accreditation bodies within that country or region. If passed, the regulation is expected to take effect on December 1, 2026, with a 2 year transition period and mandatory implementation starting December 1, 2028.

Click this link to view the report order and the original draft report and order.

On September 30, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Laboratory Division released KDB 388624 D02 v18r09 document. This official document is effective immediately, replacing the previous v18r08 version. The main changes are as follows:

• A mandatory review process has been introduced for Sub-THz technology. Specifically, devices operating in the 95 GHz band under Part 15.258 or Part 18 must complete the new "Sub-THz Pre-Approval Guide" (SUBTHZ PAG) process;
• Pre-approval review restrictions have been lifted for some mature wireless products. The Commission has removed the filing requirements for the "OVER6G" (RF exposure frequency above 6 GHz) and "UWB15F" (handheld ultra-wideband devices compliant with § 15.519) categories. Additionally, the authorities have narrowed the scope of "UN6GHZ PAG" to only "Geofenced Variable Power" (GVP) devices operating in the 5.925–6.425 GHz and 6.525–6.875 GHz bands. Therefore, standard 6 GHz client devices and indoor access points do not require additional pre-approval reviews.

Click this link to view the original KDB 388624 D02 v18r09.

On September 22, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a public comment letter numbered 368752 on the Federal Register website. In January 2020, the U.S. think tank Environmental Health Trust (EHT) sued the FCC in the D.C. Circuit, arguing that the FCC's termination of investigations into electromagnetic radiation effects and failure to update electromagnetic radiation limits were improper. In August 2021, the D.C. Circuit upheld most of the FCC's conclusions, including that "RF exposure below current limits is not carcinogenic," but requested the FCC to clarify three issues, including:

• Testing procedures for mobile phones and other portable devices;
• Health impacts on children, long-term exposure, and new technologies;
• The environmental impact of radio frequency radiation.

The FCC has not submitted any relevant explanations for five years. Recently, the EHT filed a compulsory performance order with the court, and after receiving the court's order, the FCC began soliciting public opinions on the issue.

Click this link to view the original FR 368752 file. Comments are open until October 22, 2026.

On September 11, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published the final FR rule numbered 365005 on the Federal Register website (corresponding to FCC 26-50 Reports and Orders), which will officially take effect on October 13, 2026. The new regulations implement multiple regulatory measures: prohibiting devices equipped with logic bearing hardware components above 9kHz produced by "restricted list" entities from obtaining certification; requiring online sales platforms to display FCC IDs of devices in stages according to different scenarios, with implementation in two batches in March 2027 (with physical control of goods) and June (without physical goods control).

Entities on the "covered list" must complete complete recertification when modifying equipment and are not allowed to use simplified change procedures. At the same time, the definition of critical infrastructure will be revised, removing overly broad wording in judicial rulings. FCC assesses that the maximum one-time enforcement cost for the new regulation is $300 million, mainly for online display of FCC IDs. Existing certified existing devices are not subject to the new regulation's restrictions.

Click this link to view the original FCC rule published on the Federal Register website.

On August 20, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued announcement number DA 26-870, announcing amendments to the power inverter entry on the covered list. The definition of power inverters has been revised to UL 1741 for public interactive grid-tied inverters, but networking functions are not limited to pre-installed communication modules at the factory; they also apply to hardware design reserved interfaces and slots where remote communication components can be added later. Some foreign-produced power inverters have been recognized as not threatening national security and meet any of the following conditions to be exempt from covered list control:

• Qualifies for the 26 U.S.C. §45X Advanced Manufacturing Tax Credit;
• Meets the domestic final product standard of 'Buy American Goods' (by 2028, domestic modules must account for more than 65%; From 2029, it will exceed 75%);

Click this link to view the full text of the FCC DA 26-870 announcement

On July 31, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published the final rule on the Federal Register website regarding flexible use of the C band, with most provisions set to take effect on September 29, 2026. This rule allows 160 MHz of spectrum in the 3.98 to 4.14 GHz band for flexible wireless services within the United States. The rules establish the licensing, auction, operational, and technical framework for this spectrum, as well as arrangements for transitioning existing fixed satellite services and protecting radio altimeters in adjacent bands. The FCC plans to auction the new flexible use license for the C band by July 4, 2027.

Click this link to view the original announcement on the Federal Register website

On July 22, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted document number FCC 26-50, submitting a third Final Order (R&O) and a third Further Proposed Rulemaking Notice (FNPRM) regarding Docket No.21-232, proposing multiple new measures to strengthen communication supply chain security. The third R&O has not yet been published on the Federal Register website, but the third FNPRM was published on August 7, 2026, beginning a one-month public consultation period. The main contents of the FNPRM include:

• Classification control and white label supervision: The Covered List is proposed to be divided into two categories: "Enterprise/Provider" and "Place of Production"; Strengthen traceability review of resigned/white labeling equipment;
• Transparency and Security Certification: Proposed mandatory submission of hardware bills (HBOM) and software bills (SBOM); Mandatory certification of devices in specific critical areas;
• Full-process compliance and enforcement: restricting the import routes of controlled equipment; simplifying the process of revoking equipment certification; setting the validity period for equipment certification; requiring all FCC-certified devices to designate a "responsible party within the United States"; and proposing to require devices that voluntarily declare their SDoC (Supplier Declaration of Conformity) for filing and registration.

Click this link to view the original text of the Federal Register website's request for comments, with the deadline on September 8, 2026

On July 28, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued Announcement DA 26-786, officially adding foreign-made power inverters and foreign-made advanced robotic equipment to the FCC's "Covered List." Devices listed will be prohibited from obtaining FCC device authorization and cannot be legally sold or deployed in the U.S. market.  

Advanced robotic devices are defined as mechanical mobile devices, including autonomous mobile robots, humanoid robots, and quadruped robots, all of which simultaneously meet all of the following conditions:

• Ability to move, avoid obstacles, navigate, or move on land;
• Based on command or response sensor data, operate at a certain distance from human operators or supervisors;
The
• combined weight of equipment and ground stations or base stations (if applicable) exceeds 4.4 pounds
• Each of the following types of components includes: sensors capable of sensing their environment; Components capable of providing network connectivity (wired or wireless, including Bluetooth/Wi-Fi, cellular, or satellite) with a connection speed of at least 200 kbps in either direction; Software running locally or remotely (including firmware and AI/machine learning model weights) is used to control autonomous navigation/motion perception, data collection, or remote command and control of robots.

This definition does not include: "connected vehicles," vehicles operating only on railways, drones or unmanned aerial systems, unmanned underwater vehicles, items classified as devices under § 513 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including surgical instruments, medical/surgical robotic systems, external limb prostheses and components, walking/mobility aids (such as canes, crutches, walkers, wheelchairs), etc.; Fixed, stationary, non-mobile robots, including articulated, parallel/delta, Cartesian/gantry, or SCARA robots designed for industrial or medical use.

A power inverter refers to equipment that simultaneously meets the following conditions:

• Bidirectional power equipment or systems that convert DC to AC, or AC to DC, including: microinverters, string inverters, centralized inverters, and hybrid (battery-based) inverters;
• Includes components that enable remote communication, control, sensing, data collection, or monitoring via Wi-Fi, cellular networks, Bluetooth, or other similar connection methods.

Click this link to view the full text of FCC DA 26-786 Announcement.

On June 24, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officially released version v01r02 of KDB 951290 D01 "Device Compliance Review (ECR) KDB Inquiry." ECR is an important component of the KDB inquiry system, characterized by being initiable and reusable by anyone, and applicable to both the certification process and SDoC process. Other inquiry mechanisms include general inquiries (initiated by anyone), NAG (initiated by applicants), and PAG (TCB initiated).

Previously, ECR already included three types of PIAs: 6 GHz AFC geolocation, numerical simulation, and phantom. The newly added Part 15 General Geolocation PIA mainly applies to Part 15 devices operating as main devices based on §15.202, using automatic geolocation methods to ensure compliance in the United States and its overseas territories, such as phones with hotspot functions. PIA categories can be "approved once and reused persistently." FCC-approved PIAs can be repeatedly referenced in certification applications under different FCC IDs without resubmitting inquiries for the same technical issue. This approach shortens the certification cycle for new products and reduces compliance costs.

Click this link to view the original text of KDB 951290 D01 v01r02. Click this link to view the interpretation of this PIA at the TCBC conference in April 2026.

On July 6, 2025, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced on its Federal Register website that it will comprehensively ban the continued import and sale of certain communication devices that have been listed on the Covered List by 2024 or earlier. The ban will officially take effect on July 16, 2026. The announcement also notes that for devices partially used for security monitoring of "critical infrastructure" in the 2021 list, the ban will be temporarily deferred until the official definition of critical infrastructure is clearly defined (which will be provided in the third edition of the report and order regarding the Covered List). Additionally, the ban does not apply to devices newly added to the list after 2024.

Click this link to view the original announcement on the Federal Register website.