New TCB Exclusion List
The FCC authorized Curtis-Straus to issue FCC Grants
pursuant to Part 2.960 of 47 CFR starting on June 5, 2000. Curtis-Straus operates under
the requirements of CFR 47 Part 2.962. Please consult these FCC rule sections for a more
detailed description of the program requirements.
Prior to the TCB program, equipment manufacturers were
required to apply directly to the FCC for equipment grants of authorization for equipment
types subject to Certification (and prior to 1999, Type Acceptance). Processing time at
the FCC has historically been longer than 8 weeks. In 2000, the FCC privatized the process
of application review in order to bring private sector resources to bear on the problem of
application review delay.
Manufacturers of many device types will now find that they
can obtain their grants from entities such as Curtis-Straus. These entities have been
accredited as Product Certifiers by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and
designated by the FCC. Manufactures who use these private sector Certifiers can expect to
have a rigorous technical review of their application performed in a timely manner.
Participation in the TCB program in no way relieves an applicant of the responsibility of
compliance with the FCC rules.
Product certifiers operating under the program are
required to perform product surveillance audits of certified equipment just like the FCC
surveillance of units in the marketplace.
Note that the choice of test facility is up to the
applicant. The Curtis-Straus Certification Department operates independently of the
Curtis-Straus Testing Laboratory. Applicants requesting equipment authorizations from the
Certification Department are encouraged to use whatever test facility is most convenient
for them. The Curtis-Straus Certification Department staff treat applications assembled by
the Curtis-Straus Testing Laboratory in exactly the same way that applications from other
testing facilities are treated. Please read the section on test facility selection for
further information.
