FCC Plans to Bar Chinese Labs from US Electronics Testing and Certification
On 7 October 2026 the US Federal Communications Commission said it will vote on 29 October on rules that would stop recognizing Chinese laboratories in the US electronics authorization process. The draft would take effect on 1 December 2028 and would also cover other countries that do not grant reciprocal treatment to US labs.
October vote and coverage
On 7 October 2026, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it will vote on 29 October on new equipment-authorization rules that would bar Chinese testing laboratories from certifying electronics destined for the US market. The draft covers devices such as smartphones, cameras, and computers and is scheduled to take effect on 1 December 2028. The move would widen existing US restrictions on Chinese testing and certification bodies.
The proposed measures would also apply to other countries and regions that do not grant US testing laboratories reciprocal treatment. Under the draft, the FCC would stop recognizing testing laboratories, telecommunications certification bodies, and laboratory accreditation bodies located in those places, ending their role in the US electronics authorization process.
Dependence on overseas testing
FCC Chair Brendan Carr has said that about 82 percent of electronics testing work in 2025 was completed in China, and that China and the United States have not established a mutual recognition arrangement covering testing and certification. The FCC argues that the present equipment-authorization system depends heavily on overseas labs, which may weaken US ability to supervise testing and certification and may raise supply-chain security and intellectual-property risks.
The FCC also plans to encourage companies to move equipment testing to the United States or to countries and regions that have mutual recognition arrangements with the United States. It has already created accelerated review for some equipment-authorization applications that use results from trusted laboratories, in order to shorten certification time and to expand domestic testing and certification capacity.
From ownership tests to reciprocity
The draft expands earlier FCC limits. In 2025, the FCC barred testing laboratories owned, controlled, or directed by foreign-adversary governments from the US electronics certification process, and dozens of laboratories lost qualification. That restriction turned on ownership, control relationships, and national-security risk judgments. It did not exclude every testing laboratory located in China.
In April 2026, the FCC proposed further changes to the equipment-authorization system that would treat the existence of a mutual recognition arrangement with the United States as an important criterion for FCC recognition. On 15 May, the Federal Register published the proposed rule, which would stop recognizing testing laboratories, telecommunications certification bodies, and laboratory accreditation bodies in countries and regions that have not signed a mutual recognition agreement or another reciprocal arrangement with the United States.
Earlier limits focused on specific high-risk entities. The new draft would rest on whether states maintain reciprocal arrangements in testing and certification. If adopted, a Chinese laboratory that is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government could still lose FCC recognition because it is located in a country without a relevant reciprocal arrangement with the United States.
Timeline and effects on manufacturers
Under the published plan, the restrictions would apply from 1 December 2028, giving testing and certification bodies and electronics manufacturers about two years to adjust. Final coverage, transition terms, and implementation requirements would depend on the rule the FCC adopts and publishes.
For Chinese companies that sell electronics into the United States, adoption would likely require a new review of whether current laboratories still hold FCC recognition, and in some cases a shift of testing work to the United States or to other qualifying countries and regions. That shift could raise certification costs, add supply-chain coordination burdens, and increase uncertainty around product launch dates.
The proposal addresses participation in the FCC equipment-authorization process. Whether a given product obtains US market access would still depend on that authorization system and on other applicable rules. The 29 October vote and the final rule text will determine whether the restrictions proceed and what compliance effects follow.