NEWSReport No. DC 96-43    ACTION IN DOCKET CASE                May 9, 1996
                                     
          FCC STREAMLINES EQUIPMENT AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS 
                         FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS;
      Deregulation Will Allow Products to Reach Marketplace Faster
                          (ET Docket No. 95-19)

       The Commission has adopted new rules to relax the equipment authorization
requirements for personal computers and personal computer peripherals from FCC
certification to a new self-authorization process based on a manufacturer's or supplier's
declaration of conformity with FCC standards for limiting radio frequency (RF) emissions. 
The new rules permit manufacturers and suppliers of personal computers and personal
computer peripherals to put a product on the market after testing it to ensure compliance and
including a "Declaration of Conformity" ("DoC") in the literature furnished with the
equipment without having to submit an application for equipment authorization and await
FCC approval. 

       The Commission anticipates that the new rules will significantly speed up the process
of getting the products to market and save the industry approximately $250 million annually. 
The change will stimulate competition in the computer industry by relaxing regulations that
can be particularly burdensome for small manufacturers and will also align the FCC
equipment authorization requirements for personal computers with those used in other parts of
the world.

       In order to ensure that this equipment will continue to comply with the Commission's
standards, laboratories testing products under the new procedure must be accredited by the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the American Association for
Laboratory Accreditation, or by other organizations approved by the FCC. The Commission
believes that competition among accredited laboratories will ensure reasonable rates for
testing.  Manufacturers and suppliers will also continue to have the option of using the FCC
certification process, as before.

       The new rules also permit the separate authorization of main computer boards and
power supplies under a DoC and marketing of personal computers assembled from separate
components that have themselves been authorized under a DoC.  Previously, personal
computers were required to be tested and authorized based on the specific configuration of
parts, and separate testing and authorization was required every time the configuration
changed.
       Personal computers and personal computer peripherals are subject to authorization to
ensure that they do not cause interference to radio services such as television broadcasting,
aeronautical and maritime communications, and amateur services. Prior to the new rules,
products could be marketed only after FCC certification. The certification process takes about
35 days, but can take longer if additional information must be submitted from the
manufacturer.  This delay had become increasingly costly to the industry given the rapid pace
of personal computer technology, where product life cycles are often as short as six months.
       
       Action by the Commission May 9, 1996, by Report and Order (FCC 96-208) Chairman
Hundt, Commissioners Quello, Ness, and Chong.

                                  - FCC -

       News Media contact: Rochelle Cohen at (202) 418-0500.
       Office of Engineering and Technology contacts: Anthony Serafini at (202) 418-2456 
               and John Reed at (202) 418-2455.