# FCC TCB Certification: How Equipment Authorization Through a TCB Works

The FCC doesn't test your product directly. Equipment authorization for most wireless devices is handled by FCC-recognized Telecommunications Certification Bodies — TCBs — that assess test data and issue Grants of Authorization on the FCC's behalf. Understanding the TCB process helps you run a faster, cheaper test campaign and avoid the most common causes of application rejection.


## Transcript

### The FCC doesn't test your product — a TCB does

When you get FCC certification, you're not submitting your product to the FCC to test. The FCC delegates equipment authorization to accredited Telecommunications Certification Bodies — TCBs — that review your data and issue the Grant of Authorization on its behalf. Know your TCB.

### How the TCB certification process works

TCBs — accredited by ANSI or A2LA and recognized by the FCC — review your test data and issue a Grant of Authorization with an FCC ID. Engage your TCB early and check for applicable KDB guidance — missing it is the top rejection cause.

### Choosing and working with a TCB

You don't have to use your test lab's TCB, but it usually speeds things up. Ask your TCB for a pre-application review: they'll confirm test configuration, check KDB applicability, and flag risks. A thirty-minute call routinely saves weeks of rework.

Tags: FCC, TCB, equipment authorization, wireless certification, FCC ID