FCC and IEEE Regulations

The functions of the FCC and IEEE serve very different purposes and it is important to understand their distinctions.The FCC is the regulatory body for the telecommunications industry. Among other
things, the FCC manages the airwaves by publishing regulations, issuing licenses, allocating the radio spectrum, and conducting investigations.The FCC is also responsible for the ISM and U-NII mandates. More information about FCC regulations can be found here: www.fcc.gov/oet/info/rules.

On the other hand, the IEEE is a professional organization whose mission is to create and develop standards (particularly networking and communications standards).The IEEE publishes these standards in order to promote interoperability between devices. Greater interoperability between vendors helps to create more choices for consumers and ultimately benefits the industry as a whole by encouraging greater usage and adoption rates by the public.The IEEE is responsible for the family of 802.11 protocol definitions. More information about the IEEE can be found at www.ieee.org.

When it comes to use of the airwaves in the United States, we find an area of intersection between the FCC and the IEEE. As you read the FCC regulations, you’ll find some differences between the FCC rules and the IEEE specifications.This variance reflects the IEEE’s position of remaining “conservative” and within the boundaries of the FCC mandates. For example, the 802.11a IEEE guidelines for power output limitations are actually 20 percent lower then the FCC limits.Table 1.3 shows the relative FCC and IEEE power output limits.

Spectrum range	FCC Limit	IEEE Limit
5.15 GHz–5.25 GHz	50 mW	40 mW
5.25 GHz–5.35 GHz	200 mW	250 mW
5.725 GHz–5.825 GHz	800 mW	1,000 mW