[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54000-54001]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25748]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 990927265-9265-01]
National Voluntary Conformity Assessment System Evaluation
(NVCASE) Program
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
hereby announces the establishment of a sub-program under the National
Voluntary Conformity Assessment System Evaluation (NVCASE) program to
recognize bodies that accredit certification bodies to certify products
related to telecommunications equipment. The sub-program is being
established in accordance with NVCASE regulations in response to a
request from a Federal Agency, the Federal Communications Commission.
Accreditation bodies recognized by NIST may then accredit certification
bodies to certify that specified telecommunications equipment satisfies
designated foreign or domestic government regulatory (i.e.,mandated)
requirements.
The action taken under this notice addresses both generic and
specific NVCASE requirements pursuant to U.S. Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) requirements under FCC Docket 98-68, requirements
relating to the telecommunications sector specified in the U.S.-
European Union (EU) Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), and
requirements specified in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Mutual Recognition Arrangement for the Conformity Assessment of
Telecommunications Equipment. If MRSs covering telecommunications
equipment are negotiated between the United States and another country
or region, additional specific requirements may also be included under
this NVCASE activity.
Sub-program requirements have been developed in accordance with
NCVASE Regulations and with public consultation. Public input was
obtained at two open meetings on April 27 and April 28, 1999 and from
comments received through May 30, 1999.
DATES: Applications will be accepted beginning September 30, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Applications for recognition may be obtained from, and
returned to, Robert L. Gladhill, NVCASE Program Manager, NIST, 100
Bureau Drive, Mailstop 2100, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2100, by fax (301)
975-5414, or email at [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert L. Gladhill, NVCASE Program Manager, at NIST, 100 Bureau Drive,
Mailstop 2100, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2100, telephone: (301) 975-4273,
telefax: (301) 975-5414, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NVCASE sub-program to recognize bodies
that accredit certification bodies to certify telecommunications
equipment is being established in accordance with the NVCASE
Regulations (15 CFR 286.2(b)(3)(ii)) and in response to requirements as
described in FCC GEN Docket 98-68 (FCC 98-338), adopted on December 17,
1998, and FCC Public Notice DA 99-1640, released August 17, 1999. This
sub-program also supports NIST's responsibilities as a designating
authority for the United States in both the Telecommunication Equipment
Sectoral Annex of the U.S./EU MRA (which may be located at http://
www.iep.doc.gov/mra/mra.htm) and the APEC MRA for Conformity Assessment
of Telecommunications Equipment (which may be located at http://
www.apii.or.kr/telwg/mraTG/mraTG-frame.html).
As referenced in this notice, telecommunications equipment covers
network terminal attachment and other equipment subject to
telecommunications regulations, including wire and wireless equipment,
transmitters, and terrestrial and satellite equipment, whether or not
connected to a Public Telecommunications Network.
Generic and specific requirements for this NVCASE sub-program have
been established in accordance with NVCASE regulations (15 CFR 286.5).
Public input on the establishment of sub-program requirements was
received during two workshops held at the Department of Commerce on
April 27 and 28, 1999. These workshops were announced in the Federal
Register on March 19, 1999 (64 FR 13543). Follow-up comments from the
public were accepted through May 30, 1999.
NIST will apply the generic requirements contained in the
International Organization for Standardization/International
Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) Guide 61--``General Requirements
for Assessment and Accreditation of Certification/Registration
Bodies,'' to all applicant accreditation bodies. Certification bodies
applying to recognized accreditation bodies are to be assessed against
the requirements of ISO/IEC Guide 65--``General Requirements for Bodies
Operating Product Certification Systems.'' These generic requirements
will be supplemented by specific requirements contained in individual
NVCASE program handbooks, available on request from NIST.
For the FCC Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) program,
established in FCC Docket 98-68, NIST will apply requirements contained
in the Docket and information published subsequently by the FCC. The
FCC TCB programs requires that TCBs be accredited to both ISO/IEC Guide
65--``General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and
Calibration Laboratories.'' The FCC has determined that a prospective
TCB which is already accredited to ISO/IEC Guide 25 by NIST's National
Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), the American
Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), or another recognized
body will not have to obtain another Guide 25 accreditation, provided
that the equipment it certifies is covered by the scope of its
accreditation.
Organizations seeking to operate as Conformity Assessment Bodies
(CABs) for the purposes of certifying products relating to
telecommunications equipment covered under the provisions of the U.S.-
EU MRA and APEC MRA must be accredited to ISO/IEC Guide 65; however,
they are not presently required to be accredited to ISO/IEC Guide 25.
Both the U.S.-EU MRA and APEC MRA (Phase I) also provide for a separate
role for testing laboratories accredited to ISO/IEC Guide 25 for
specific test methods. A separate NVCASE sub-program to recognize
accreditors of testing laboratories is also being established to meet
this requirement.
As stated in the NVCASE regulations (15 CFR 286.4), the NVCASE
program is operated on a cost reimbursable basis. It is open for
voluntary participation by any U.S.-based body that conducts activities
relating to conformity assessment falling within the program's
[[Page 54001]]
scope. Pursuant to this notice, NIST will accept applications from
accreditation bodies that are interested in being recognized to
accredit certification bodies under the FCC TCB program, the
telecommunications equipment sectoral annex of the U.S./EU MRA or the
APEC MRA if they meet the above criteria. Prospective accreditation
bodies must submit a complete application and required fees by October
30, 1999 in order to be included in the initial group to be evaluated.
Accreditation bodies seeking recognition for the purposes of the
FCC TCB program may begin accepting applications from candidate TCBs
immediately. To ensure fairness in the process, initial applications to
become a TCB will be handled as a group. All such applications filed
and accepted by November 15, 1999 by an accreditation body which has
applied to NIST for recognition will be handled in the first group of
TCBs. Applications received subsequently will be considered on an as-
received basis for evaluation after the initial group of applicants has
been considered.
The evaluation of the first group of accreditation bodies applying
for NVCASE recognition will begin on or about November 15, 1999. All
accreditation bodies that have submitted a complete application and
required fees to NIST by October 30, 1999, will be included in this
initial group. Applications received subsequently will be considered on
an as-received basis for evaluation after the initial group of
applicants has been considered.
NIST expects to announce recognition of qualified accreditation
bodies on or about March 1, 2000. At about the same time, NIST also
expects to identify and list an initial group of qualified certifiers
for each of the areas noted. Certifiers listed under the provisions of
the telecommunications equipment sectoral annex of the U.S./EU MRA or
under the APEC MRA will be designated by NIST as conformity assessment
bodies. Certifiers listed under the provisions of FCC Docket 98-68 will
be nominated to the FCC for designation as TCBs.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to respond nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to
comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information
displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Control Number. This notice involves a collection of information
approved under OMB Control No. 0693-0019.
Dated: September 29, 1999.
Karen H. Brown,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 99-25748 Filed 10-4-99; 8:45 am]
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