Overview
- The FCC voted on Thursday to bar test labs and certification bodies in countries that do not give reciprocal access to U.S. labs, a move that specifically targets mainland China.
- Under the rule, laboratories in affected countries will lose the ability to perform substantive testing and prepare test reports for U.S. device certification when the ban takes effect on December 1, 2028.
- Industry groups and analysts warn the decision could create testing shortages, cause certification backlogs for new phones and computers, and raise manufacturing costs as firms move work to U.S. or reciprocal-country labs.
- The agency cited concentration risk in its rationale, saying about 82% of devices were tested in China in 2025, a pattern the FCC says leaves the U.S. vulnerable on security and supply chains.
- The vote follows earlier FCC steps in 2025 to remove recognition from some foreign labs and has prompted warnings of possible diplomatic or trade responses from Beijing.