ANSI's continued recognition as an accreditor is granted under the NIST-National Voluntary Conformity Assessment System Evaluation (NVCASE) program. The NVCASE program helps federal agencies organize product certification and related activities for ensuring that products or processes comply with U.S. or foreign requirements included in trade agreements such as Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs).
NVCASE assesses accreditors based on the criteria of ISO/IEC 17011:2004, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, and the NVCASE Program Handbook, NISTIR 6440:2004 ED.
In June 2000, ANSI became the first recognized accreditation body of product certifiers that test equipment such as radio transmitters, telephone handsets, and more to determine whether they satisfy Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulatory standards. Over the past ten years, the scope of ANSI's recognition has expanded to include the specific requirements of five countries: the United States, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan.
"ANSI is honored to receive this continued recognition as part of our decade-long partnership with NIST on the NVCASE program," said Lane Hallenbeck, ANSI vice president of accreditation services. "NIST's continuing recognition of the Institute's accreditation services allows manufacturers who sell telecommunications equipment in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan to submit their products for testing to ANSI-accredited TCBs and have the single set of test results and product certifications accepted across national borders."
For more information on ANSI's accreditation services, visit www.ansi.org/accreditation.