[Federal Register: March 19, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 53)]
[Notices]               
[Page 13543]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19mr99-30]


[[Page 13543]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

 
Announcement of Two Public Workshops Regarding Conformity 
Assessment Bodies for the EMC/Telecom Annexes of the US/EC Mutual 
Recognition Agreement and Telecommunication Certification Bodies for 
the Federal Communication Commission

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 
invites interested parties to attend two half-day workshops regarding 
conformity assessment bodies for the EMC/Telecom Annexes of the US/EC 
Mutual Recognition Agreement and Telecommunication Certification Bodies 
for the Federal Communication Commission. The first half day workshop 
will be for the development of requirements for a sub-program under the 
National Voluntary Conformity Assessment System Evaluation (NVCASE) 
Program, which will satisfy the product testing and quality system 
registration requirements of the EMC/Telecom Annexes of the United 
States/European Commission Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).
    The second half-day workshop will be devoted to the development of 
requirements for another sub-program for Telecommunication 
Certification Bodies (TCBs) under NVCASE program. This sub-program will 
satisfy the product testing and quality system registration 
requirements of the Federal Communication Commission.
    NVCASE procedures require NIST to consult the public when 
establishing requirements to be applied in evaluations conducted within 
the scope of NVCASE programs. NIST, Federal Communication Commission 
(FCC) and European Commission (EC) personnel will participate in these 
workshops. There is no fee for the workshops; however, all attendees 
must register in advance with the EMC/Telecom/TCBs Workshop Coordinator 
no later than April 16, 1999.

DATES: The workshop for the EMC/Telcom Annexes will be held on April 
28, 1999, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The workshop for the 
Telecommunication Certification Bodies will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 
4:00 p.m. on April 28, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Both workshops will be held at Department of Commerce 
Auditorium, Herbert C. Hoover Building, located at 14th Street and 
Constituion Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information, you may telephone 
(301) 975-5120. You may register for one or both workshops by E-mail at 
scp@nist.gov or by fax at (301) 975-5414. You may also register by U.S. 
mail addressed to EMC/Telecom/TCBs Workshop Coordinator, NIST, 100 
Bureau Drive, Stop 2100, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-2100.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with Title 15 Part 286.2(b) of 
the Code of Federal Regulations, NIST has established these programs 
pursuant to a written direction from another Federal Agency, the 
Federal Communication Commission (FCC). The FCC, in its GED Docket No. 
98-68, designated NIST as the entity with primary responsibility for 
accrediting Telecommunications Certification Bodies under the NVCASE 
program. NIST may directly accredit TCBs or may, in consultation with 
the Commission, designate additional accreditation bodies who will, in 
turn, accredit TCBs. The Commission will identify for NIST, for 
example, the specific types of tests that need to be done for 
telecommunications equipment and the types of measurements that should 
be done to demonstrate compliance with their rules; the processes that 
TCBs will use to obtain current and correct interpretations of rules or 
test procedures; and, the consultative activities requiring TCB 
participation. The Commission will provide public notice of the methods 
that NST will use to accredit TCBs consistent with the qualification 
criteria adopted.
    The NVCASE regulations found at 15 CFR Part 286 require NIST to 
consult the public when establishing requirements to be applied in 
evaluations conducted within the scope of NVCASE programs. These 
programs under NVCASE will allow U.S. bodies to satisfy the conformity 
assessment requirements of the EMC/Telecom annexes of the US/EC Mutual 
Recognition Agreement and will also allow TCBs to satisfy the 
conformity assessment requirements of FCC.
    The NVCASE public workshops will follow the European Commission 
training workshop, which is to be held on April 27, 1999, for 
Conformity Assessment Bodies in which EC personnel will outline the 
requirements of the EMC/Telecom Annexes of the MRA. Both workshops will 
be held at the same location. The text of the US/EC MRA for the EMC/
Telecom sectoral annexes can be accessed on the Internet at http://
www.iep.doc.gov/mra/mra.htm. NIST, FCC and EC personnel will 
participate in the EC training workshop.

    Dated: March 15, 1999.
Raymond G. Kammer,
Director.
[FR Doc. 99-6772 Filed 3-18-99; 8:45 am]
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