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1. Introduction
The Government of Canada and United States have agreed, through an exchange of letters, to implement Phase I and Phase II of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (APEC-TEL MRA).
The MRA between Canada and the United States covers:
- the recognition requirements of testing laboratories and the acceptance of test reports generated by recognized laboratories; and
- the recognition requirements of certification bodies (CBs) and the acceptance of product certification results issued by recognized CBs.
2. Regulatory authority in the United States
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the authority responsible for regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellites and cable.
2.1 Standards available for FCC recognition
Please refer to Table A1—Scopes of Accreditation for testing performed in support of FCC Certification approval procedures, in Appendix A of the document, Accredited Testing Laboratory Program Roles and Responsibilities.
3. General requirements for Canadian CABs
Canadian CABs must meet the General Requirements for Designation as a Canadian Conformity Assessment Body (CAB).
4. Application requirements and processes for Canadian CABs
Online designation application forms as well as lists of required documentation can be found for:
- Phase I (Testing Laboratories): in section 4 of DES-LAB, Procedure for the Designation of Canadian Testing Laboratories
The following additional information is required for testing laboratories:
- FCC Registration Number
- list of FCC rule sections the accreditation covers
- scope of accreditation, including the FCC-related test methods and supporting FCC guidance for the accredited test laboratory (see Appendix A of the Accredited Testing Laboratory Program Roles and Responsibilities)
- accreditation expiration date
- Accredited Testing Laboratory FCC Technical Assessment Checklist completed by the accreditation body (AB)
- statement that the test lab complies with all provisions of the document Accredited Testing Laboratory Program Roles and Responsibilities
- Phase II (Certification Bodies): in section 5 of DES-CB, Procedure for the Designation of Canadian Certification Bodies (CB)
The following additional information is required for CBs:
- FCC Registration Number
- Telecommunication Certification Body (TCB) Scope of Accreditation (see KDB Publication 641163)
- Certificate of Accreditation (in cases where the AB does not issue a certificate, equivalent information must be provided)
- list of FCC rule sections the accreditation covers (see KDB Publication 641163)
- list of FCC test procedures the accreditation covers (see KDB Publication 641163)
- accreditation expiration date
- compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 (a TCB must have an FCC-recognized and -accredited test firm associated with it)
- compliance with ISO/IEC 17065:2012
- compliance with applicable TCB Roles and Responsibilities (see KDB Publication 641163)
- TCB Program Technical Assessment ISO/IEC 17065:2012 Checklist completed by an AB (for new TCBs, the submission of a completed evaluation form or a statement from the AB that the TCB fully complies is required)
- confirmation that TCB staff have successfully completed the appropriate TCB training with regards to their designation via the Key Employee List (see KDB Publication 641163)
Once Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) receives an application and confirms its completeness, ISED will forward a designation request to the FCC, who, under the terms of the MRA, has up to 60 days to respond.
Upon recognition by the foreign regulatory authority, ISED will assign a unique CAB ID and issue a recognition letter to the CAB. The recognition letter will state the standards or specifications for which recognition has been granted, and the recognized CAB will be added to ISED’s list of Conformity Assessment Bodies.
For renewals, recognized CABs shall update their recognition expiration date by submitting their renewed or extended ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17065 Scope(s) of Accreditation and Accreditation Certificate(s) through DES-LAB Application for Designation or Recognition of a Canadian Testing Laboratory or DES-CB Application for Designation of a Canadian Certification Body.
5. About the APEC-TEL MRA
The initial signing of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Conformity Assessment of Telecommunications Equipment (APEC-TEL MRA) took place on May 8, 1998. Participation in the APEC-TEL MRA is voluntary and includes two phases: Phase I for mutual acceptance of test reports and Phase II for certification of product approvals.
6. For more information
For more information about the Canada-United States MRA, please contact MRA Admin.