§ 15.103   Exempted devices.

   The following devices are subject only to the general conditions of
   operation in § § 15.5 and 15.29 and are exempt from the specific
   technical standards and other requirements contained in this part. The
   operator of the exempted device shall be required to stop operating the
   device upon a finding by the Commission or its representative that the
   device is causing harmful interference. Operation shall not resume
   until the condition causing the harmful interference has been
   corrected. Although not mandatory, it is strongly recommended that the
   manufacturer of an exempted device endeavor to have the device meet the
   specific technical standards in this part.

   (a) A digital device utilized exclusively in any transportation vehicle
   including motor vehicles and aircraft.

   (b) A digital device used exclusively as an electronic control or power
   system utilized by a public utility or in an industrial plant. The term
   public utility includes equipment only to the extent that it is in a
   dedicated building or large room owned or leased by the utility and
   does not extend to equipment installed in a subscriber's facility.

   (c) A digital device used exclusively as industrial, commercial, or
   medical test equipment.

   (d) A digital device utilized exclusively in an appliance, e.g.,
   microwave oven, dishwasher, clothes dryer, air conditioner (central or
   window), etc.

   (e) Specialized medical digital devices (generally used at the
   direction of or under the supervision of a licensed health care
   practitioner) whether used in a patient's home or a health care
   facility. Non-specialized medical devices, i.e., devices marketed
   through retail channels for use by the general public, are not
   exempted. This exemption also does not apply to digital devices used
   for record keeping or any purpose not directly connected with medical
   treatment.

   (f) Digital devices that have a power consumption not exceeding 6 nW.

   (g) Joystick controllers or similar devices, such as a mouse, used with
   digital devices but which contain only non-digital circuitry or a
   simple circuit to convert the signal to the format required (e.g., an
   integrated circuit for analog to digital conversion) are viewed as
   passive add-on devices, not themselves directly subject to the
   technical standards or the equipment authorization requirements.

   (h) Digital devices in which both the highest frequency generated and
   the highest frequency used are less than 1.705 MHz and which do not
   operate from the AC power lines or contain provisions for operation
   while connected to the AC power lines. Digital devices that include, or
   make provision for the use of, battery eliminators, AC adaptors or
   battery chargers which permit operation while charging or that connect
   to the AC power lines indirectly, obtaining their power through another
   device which is connected to the AC power lines, do not fall under this
   exemption.

   (i) Responsible parties should note that equipment containing more than
   one device is not exempt from the technical standards in this part
   unless all of the devices in the equipment meet the criteria for
   exemption. If only one of the included devices qualifies for exemption,
   the remainder of the equipment must comply with any applicable
   regulations. If a device performs more than one function and all of
   those functions do not meet the criteria for exemption, the device does
   not qualify for inclusion under the exemptions.

   return arrow Back to Top