Global Regulatory Intelligence

Canada ISED SRSP-522 26 GHz rules are out for comment. Draft SRSP-522 Issue 2 adds the 24.25–25.1 GHz band to the technical requirements for non-competitive local (NCL) licences, alongside the existing 27.5–28.35 GHz band. It keeps the same power limits, makes 24.45–24.65 GHz indoor-only and points equipment to RSS-193. Comments are due by 15 January 2027, and ISED won't issue 26 GHz NCL licences before 2029.

FCC Covered List component enforcement has started. On 22 October 2026 the FCC said its Office of Engineering and Technology stopped a dashboard camera and a wireless video transmitter from being marketed or sold in the United States because both contained a HiSilicon chip. It's the first action under the rule in force since 13 October 2026 that bars authorization of devices with logic-bearing parts from Covered List entities. Here's what manufacturers should check.

FCC Reciprocal Economy test labs now have a named list. The full text of FCC 26-73, released on 30 October 2026, names 62 economies where FCC testing can continue after 1 December 2028, and mainland China, India and Switzerland aren't among them. The order also confirms that existing FCC grants stay valid without retesting, defines which lab activities count, and asks whether SDoC products should be tested in the US or a Reciprocal Economy too.

FCC Cyber Trust Mark label rules are taking shape. In Public Notice DA 26-1162, released on 27 October 2026, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau asks for comment on how the IoT label should look, what the QR-linked "cyber nutrition label" must show, how often manufacturers renew and how products will be checked after certification. It proposes a three-year renewal instead of the five years industry recommended.

The CPSC garage door operator UL 325 rule is changing. A direct final rule published on 30 October 2026 updates 16 CFR part 1211 to the Seventh Edition of UL 325, revised 15 September 2025. Battery backup operators must work normally on backup power or stop and leave the door open, and must pass entrapment tests at their lowest operating voltage. The rule takes effect on 29 December 2026 unless adverse comments arrive.

FCC test lab reciprocity rules are now final. On 29 October 2026 the Federal Communications Commission voted 3–0 to adopt FCC 26-73, which limits recognition of test labs, TCBs and accreditation bodies to the United States and Reciprocal Economies. From 1 December 2028, all testing, certifying and accreditation for FCC equipment authorization must take place there. Manufacturers that rely on labs elsewhere have about two years to move.

Canada RSS-247 DFS certification rules were amended on 8 October 2026. ISED's Amendment 1 to RSS-247 Issue 4 updates section 7.3.6.3 after the publication of RSS-Gen Issue 6. For 5 GHz Wi-Fi and other LE-LAN devices operating in the 5600–5650 MHz weather radar band, the text now sets a 10-minute channel availability check and a 1 s channel closing transmission time when using the ETSI EN 301 893 test procedure.

FCC test lab recognition rules could change sharply. A draft Third Report and Order in ET Docket No. 24-136, up for a vote on 29 October 2026, would stop the FCC recognizing Test Labs, TCBs and accreditation bodies in economies without a mutual recognition or reciprocal trade agreement with the United States. Applications received from 1 December 2028 would need testing in the US or a Reciprocal Economy. Existing grants stay valid.

The FCC Pre-Approval Guidance list has a new revision. On 30 September 2026 the FCC Laboratory Division posted KDB 388624 D02 v18r09, which adds a SUBTHZ item for devices above 95 GHz, removes the OVER6G and UWB15F items, and limits the 6 GHz UN6GHZ item to geofenced variable power devices. The changes apply immediately to TCB certifications, so some grants will move faster while sub-THz radars and sensors face a new checklist.

FCC Upper C-band equipment rules took effect on 29 September 2026. Order FCC 26-46 extends the 3.7 GHz Service to 3.70–4.14 GHz, doubles the power limit for mobile and portable devices to 2 W EIRP and sets out-of-band limits to protect aircraft radio altimeters. New mobile and portable devices will have to cover the whole band from 31 December 2030, and equipment that already does can be certified now. Here's what device makers should plan for.

Nicaragua's regulator TELCOR has published revised official lists that classify telecommunications equipment as exempt from homologation, restricted and subject to homologation, or prohibited. The lists cover 22 exempt categories, set 900 MHz exemption conditions, place infrastructure, satellite, radar and professional radio equipment under type approval, and ban jammers, IMSI catchers and unauthorized FRS/GMRS radios. Manufacturers should reassess product classification befo

Mexico's National Customs Agency (ANAM) has issued a guidance criterion clarifying how customs will sanction NOM labeling non-compliance after the 2026 Customs Law reform. Goods failing NOM commercial information rules face precautionary seizure; if compliance is not proven, a 250–300% fine and forfeiture apply unless corrected within 30 days. Where the NOM is met but label data is missing or inaccurate, the fine is 2–10% of commercial value.

Mexico's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (CRT) has added mobile wireless access to nine AT&T spectrum concessions in the 3550–3600 MHz segment, complying with a final court ruling in a dispute dating back to 2019. The decision unlocks a contiguous 50 MHz TDD block nationwide, subject to conditions on satellite protection, TDD synchronization, EMF limits and mandatory equipment homologation. Here is what changes and what manufacturers should do next.

Canada's ISED has opened a public consultation on SRSP-517 Issue 3, the Standard Radio System Plan setting the minimum technical requirements for Broadband Radio Service in the 2500–2690 MHz band. The draft follows ISED's September 2026 decision to move the band to an unpaired TDD plan of 38 blocks of 5 MHz, and runs alongside the RSS-199 Issue 5 consultation. Comments are due December 4, 2026. Here is what operators and equipment manufacturers need to know and do next.

Panama's ASEP has opened Public Consultation No. 012-26 on a four-part Panama PNAF update. The proposal would open the lower 6 GHz band (5.925–6.425 GHz) to unlicensed low-power Wi-Fi, set rules for satellite Direct-to-Cell services including terminal homologation, redefine the Canal Area for Fixed Wireless Access and align the allocation table with ITU RR-2024. Comments close on October 28, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. Here is what the changes mean for manufacturers and type approval

The FCC UWB rules are under their first comprehensive review since 2002. On September 30, 2026, the Federal Communications Commission adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-66, ET Docket No. 26-245) to modernize Part 15 Subpart F in the United States. The proposal would update the UWB definition and test procedures, add a new device category, and end imaging coordination. Nothing changes for certification yet. Comments are due 30 days after Federal Register publicati

Canada's ISED has opened a public consultation on RSS-199 Issue 5, the draft certification standard for Broadband Radio Service (BRS) equipment in the 2500–2690 MHz band. The key change is a new alternative band plan of 38 unpaired 5 MHz blocks reserved for TDD equipment. Comments are due December 4, 2026, and a six-month transition period will follow final publication. Here is what base station, fixed and subscriber equipment manufacturers need to know.

Mexico's Secretaría de Economía (SE) has modified Annex 2.4.1 of its foreign trade rules. The change adds five HS codes under heading 8517, which covers smartphones, other mobile phones and connected terminal equipment, to NOM-221-SCFI-2017 and NOM-221/2-SCFI-2018 compliance at customs. The agreement was published in the DOF on September 28, 2026 and takes effect September 29. The NOM-221 obligations apply after 30 business days. Here is what manufacturers and importers need

On September 21, 2026, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced it is incorporating IEC/IEEE 62209-1528 AMD 1 into its RF exposure framework. The amendment updates SAR measurement procedures used under RSS-102, adding hand SAR test methods, a formal motion-sensor procedure and revised time-averaged SAR validation. Here is what changes for wireless device manufacturers, test labs and certification bodies, and how to prepare.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has opened a public consultation on RF exposure issues remanded by the D.C. Circuit in Environmental Health Trust v. FCC. Published in the Federal Register on September 22, 2026, under ET Docket No. 13-84, the notice seeks input on SAR testing procedures, children's exposure, long-term exposure and environmental effects. Comments are due October 22, 2026. Current FCC RF exposure limits remain fully in force for equipment author