AUSTRAILA ACMA: CHANGE RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT REGULATION (OUTCOME)

As outcomes of consultation on 37/2022 (Proposed Changes to Radiocommunications Equipment Regulation), ACMA made 4 Legislative Instruments:

▷  the Radiocommunications Equipment (General) Amendment Rules 2023 (No.1)

▷  the Radiocommunications (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence Variation 2023 (No.1)

▷  the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Significant) Instrument (No.1) 2023

▷  the Communications Legislation (Protected Symbols) Determination 2023

Therefore, the Radiocommunications Equipment (General) Rules 2021, otherwise known as the General Equipment Rules, have been updated by the Amendment Rules to:

▷  repeal 13 old radiocommunications-mandated technical standards and the Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling – Devices) Notice 2014, and include their content in the General Equipment Rules with minor amendments

▷  adopt 5 additional international documents to provide suppliers with greater flexibility to achieve compliance with technical performance requirements

▷  repeal the Radiocommunications (121.5 MHz and 243.0 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) Standard 2014

▷  replace the interim electromagnetic energy (EME) test method IEC TR 63170 with IEC/IEEE 63195-1:2022 and IEC/IEEE 63195-2:2022 to allow suppliers to use both computational methods and physical measurements to determine compliance with ARPANSA’s EME limits for transmitters operating above 6 GHz

▷  rename the description of devices in relation to their compliance requirements

▷  include an exemption for devices used in connection with a ‘significant event’ declared by the ACMA by notifiable instrument.

The ACMA also made the Communications Legislation (Protected Symbols) Determination 2023, which remakes the Protected Symbols Determination 2013 that was due to sunset.

This means the status of the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) as a protected symbol has been maintained. The A-Tick and C-Tick marks are no longer protected symbols as their use on newly supplied equipment has not been permitted since February 2016.