The FCC will vote on 29 Oct on draft rules that would stop recognising test labs, Telecommunications Certification Bodies (TCBs) and lab accreditation bodies in countries without a reciprocal agreement with the US. The draft sets a transition period ending 1 Dec 2028.
The draft Third Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would require the substantive testing, certification and accreditation behind FCC equipment authorisation to take place in the US or in “Reciprocal Economies”, meaning places with a Mutual Recognition Agreement or a comparable reciprocal trade agreement with the US. It would set a uniform transition period ending 1 Dec 2028, which the FCC says gives labs time to expand capacity and manufacturers time to find alternatives. The rules are a draft and could change before the 29 Oct vote. A separate item on the same agenda, a drone-use order for the 800 MHz Cellular band, is unrelated to SpaceX’s 800 MHz spectrum purchase.
Sources: FCC October 2026 open meeting (ET Docket No. 24-136)