Pursuant to the Order on Reconsideration in CC Docket No. 99-216, FCC 02-103, Released April 10, 2002, Responsible Parties utilizing the SDoC method are no longer required to be physically located in the U.S.A. However, they must designate an Agent for Service for process that is physically located in the U.S.A.
Responsible Parties can file for an RPC using the ACTA Online Filing (AOF) system. To register for an account, click on “Online Filing System” > “Filer Registration”. After registering for an account, you can request an RPC using the filing type “Register an RPC”.
ACTA does not grant “approval”. Under a SDoC, the Responsible Party “approves” the product.
Refer to TIA/EIA TSB-168 Telecommunications-Telephone Terminal Equipment Labeling Requirements, June 2001.
A TCB can submit information about a “certified” product (on behalf of their client), or act as an “authorized submitter” for a Responsible Party’s SDoC.
No. An RPC must be assigned before submitting an Original filing. These are separate filings. It should be noted that an RPC will not display in the database until an Original Filing has been filed for that RPC.
The technical criteria adopted by ACTA for product approval is available (for a single copy download) by clicking on “Documents”. Questions regarding the criteria should be sent to the Standards Development Organization (SDO) that submitted the criteria, a TCB, or the TCB Council. The ACTA will not make substantive decisions regarding the development of technical criteria.
Responsible Parties must retain test results, description of test procedures, analyses, evaluations, quality control standards and quality assurance standards necessary to demonstrate that the terminal equipment complies with and will continue to comply with all the applicable technical criteria.
While a Responsible Party is not required to directly control or maintain a US Service Center, identification of a Service Center for the Product is required.
While the terms “interconnected VoIP service” and “non-interconnected VoIP service,” are not defined in 47 CFR §68.3, the definitions found in the FCC’s CVAA Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration provide guidance to the industry on these terms. The ACTA has developed a presentation on Interconnected/Non-Interconnected VoIP – Definitions, which can be accessed here.
The ACTA does not permit the use of wildcards as their use can create confusion when trying to determine if a model is certified.
ACTA does not endorse or recommend any products or services, including TCBs. A full list of TCBs can be found on the FCC’s website here: https://apps.fcc.gov/tcb/index.html
The Responsible Party Code (RPC) Data Validation Program requires Responsible Parties to validate the data ascribed to their organization on an annual basis, whether or not new equipment was registered during the calendar year. The RPC Data which must be validated, includes but is not limited to: RPC’s point(s) of contact, address(es), phone number(s), email address(es), and website URL.
RPCs that are updated will be noted by a “green check” to show that the RPC data have been validated and are accurate.
The ACTA launched the RPC Data Validation Program on January 1, 2011, to ensure that RPC data are accurate and up-to-date.
An important responsibility of the ACTA is to maintain an accurate and up-to-date database of all Part 68 Telephone Terminal Equipment (TTE). The information associated with a Responsible Party Code (RPC) is extremely important to the FCC, the U.S. Customs, and consumers. The RPC is the main piece of information that establishes the connection between the responsible party and the telephone equipment stored in the database. As a result, it is imperative that the information be correct, not only at the time of the filing, but on an on-going basis.
Inaccurate contact information associated with an RPC poses a problem not only for the FCC, the U.S. Customs and consumers who have questions/issues with products or company information, but also for ACTA when releasing important information regarding Part 68 compliance.
Responsible Parties or their Authorized Submitters (e.g., TCB or independent lab) should validate their RPC Data. Each individual RPC must be validated.
Responsible Parties are required to validate their data on a yearly basis regardless of whether any changes occurred during the current calendar year. Responsible Parties cannot validate their data for more than one calendar year. Validation for the next calendar year begins on October 1st of the previous year. To incentivize timely participation, this filing type is discounted from October 1 to February 1. However, an RPC can be validated at any time of the year.
Any additional changes to the RPC data can be changed throughout the year for no additional cost by contacting ACTA at acta@atis.org.
No, you only need to validate the Responsible Party Code. Once the Responsible Party Code has been validated all associated products using that Responsible Party Code will update automatically to display the correct information.
Yes, each Responsible Party Code will need to be updated annually.
The Responsible Party will not be able to change the Company Name. To change a company name, please submit a “Transfer RPC” filing.
RPCs are not deleted or sunset from the Part68 Database, as the products may continue to be used after production ends. However, a Responsible Party can file for Stabilized Maintenance. A form of RPC Data Validation, Stabilized Maintenance allows an RPC to be validated for the remaining life of the RPC.
The fee for this classification is $295 and to qualify for Stabilized Maintenance, the following eligibility criteria shall be met:
a) At least one product has been filed under the RPC;
b) No products have been registered under the RPC within the past 10 years; and
c) The Responsible Party does not anticipate that anticipate that any products will be registered under the RPC in the future.
The Responsible Party shall still be required to update the RPC contact information for any RPCs classified under this program if changes should occur. These updates shall be submitted to the ACTA at acta@atis.org and will be free of charge.
Should a new product be registered under an RPC classified under Stabilized Maintenance, the RPC will no longer be eligible for this classification and the Responsible Party will be required to pay a $95.00 reactivation fee and conduct annual RPC Data Validation thereafter.
To file for Stabilized Maintenance, please email acta@atis.org for additional information.