G/TBT/N/USA/1606  
20 April 2020  
(20-3092) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [1636]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated  if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [   ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields; Quality (ICS 03.120), Radiation protection 
(ICS 13.280), Electricity. Magnetism. Ele ctrical and magnetic measurements (ICS 17.220), 
Radiation measurements (ICS 17.240), Radiocommunications (ICS 33.060), 
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) (ICS 33.100)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Human Exposure 
to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields and Reassessment of FCC Radiofrequency 
Exposure Limits and Policies (21 page(s), in English)   
6. Description of content:  Final Rule - In this document, the Federal Communications 
Commission (Commission) amends its rule s related to the two methods that may be used 
for determining and achieving compliance with the Commission's existing limits on human 
exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields: Exemption -- consideration of 
whether a particular device or deplo yment is so clearly compliant, based on criteria in the 
Commission's rules, that it qualifies as exempt from the requirement to undertake a more 
thorough RF exposure analysis --and evaluation --a more specific examination of an 
individual site or device, whi ch considers factors beyond those utilized for exemption and 
may be performed with a variety of computational and/or measurement methodologies. It 
also amends the rules related to an increasingly important part of demonstrating and 
maintaining RF exposure compliance: mitigation --the restriction from or limitation of RF 
exposure in controlled areas to keep RF exposure within the Commission's established 
limits by, for example, using signs or barriers. The amended rules are intended to provide 
more efficient,  practical, and consistent RF exposure evaluation procedures and mitigation 
measures to help ensure compliance with the existing RF exposure limits. The amended 
rules replace the various inconsistent service -specific criteria for exempting parties from 
performing an evaluation to demonstrate compliance with the RF exposure limits with new, 
streamlined criteria. The amended rules also allow the use of any valid computational 
method to determine potential RF exposure levels, remove the minimum evaluation 
distance requirement for frequencies above 6 GHz, and establish post -evaluation 
RF exposure mitigation procedures (e.g., signage), to help ensure that persons are not 
exposed to RF emissions in excess of the existing limits. The Commission also affirms its 
prior decision to classify the pinna (outer ear) as an extremity in RF exposure compliance G/TBT/N/USA/1606  
 
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  testing, finds no appropriate basis for and thus declines to propose amendments to 
existing RF exposure limits at this time, and terminates the inquiry in which it soug ht 
comment on the Commission's existing guidelines for limiting RF exposure to humans.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; Quality requirements; Harmonization  
8. Relevant documents:   
• 85 Federal Register (FR) 18131, 1 April 2020; Title 47 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Parts1, 2, 15, 18, 22, 24, 25, 27, 73, 90, 95, 97, and 101:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-04-01/html/2020 -02745.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-04-01/pdf/2020 -02745.pdf  
• Reassessment of Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields Limits and 
Policies, Propos ed rule published 4 June 2013:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2013-06-04/html/2013 -12713.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2013-06-04/pdf/2013 -12713.pdf  
• Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields, Final Rule published 
4 June 2013:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2013-06-04/html/2013 -12716.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2013-06-04/pdf/2013 -12716.pdf  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  None 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/TBT/USA/20_2759_00_e.pdf