82% of FCC Device Tests Now Happen in China. The FCC Is Right to Bring That Work Home
By the FCC's count, less than 4% of electronic devices are now tested in U.S. labs. The Commission is scheduled to vote Oct. 29 on rules demanding reciprocity. In our view, it is a smart, measured and overdue fix.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 9, 2026 | 6-min read Pick up the phone in your pocket, the baby monitor in the nursery or the security camera on your porch. Before any of them could be sold in America, they had to be tested at an FCC-recognized lab [3]. Here is the surprise: according to the Federal Communications Commission, labs in Communist China handled more than 82% of device testing by 2025, and the U.S. share had fallen to less than 4% [2]. On Wednesday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced a plan to change that [1]. In our view, it is long overdue. Key Takeaways The FCC is scheduled to vote on Oct. 29 on rules that would stop recognizing test labs in countries, including China, that deny reciprocal treatment to U.S.-based labs [1][3]. U.S. labs handled about 31% of device testing in 2007 but less than 4% by 2025, while China's share rose from about 13% to more than 82%, the FCC's draft says [2]. The rules would not take effect until Dec. 1, 2028, giving manufacturers a transition period, and the draft is not yet final [2][3]. The FCC itself estimates added testing costs of about $79.3 million a year [2]. Here is why this matters. Before any electronic device can be used or marketed in the