FCC Adopts New Rules for RFIDs

The FCC adopted new rules that allow for the operation of improved radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for use in conjunction with commercial shipping containers. The FCC's rules permit RFID systems to be operated on a number of frequency bands, subject to limitations on their maximum signal level and transmission duration. The new order increases the maximum signal level permitted for RFID systems operating in the 433.5-434.5 MHz band to facilitate more reliable transmissions with greater range than the rules previously allowed. The 433 MHz band is available for unlicensed operation in many countries around the world, thus enabling manufactures to produce a single model of a device for use in both the United States and other countries. The Order also increases the maximum permitted transmission duration for these RFID systems from one second to 60 seconds, resulting in a sixty-fold increase in the amount of data that can be transmitted, thus facilitating the scanning of the contents of an entire shipping container. http://www.fcc.gov