Tech products that are packaged and ready for sale aren\u2019t launching in the US as planned right now, thanks to the government shutdown.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Leica delayed its M EV1<\/a> camera due to holdups on approval from the partially shuttered Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The WiiM Sound<\/a> audiophile speaker, currently shipping in international markets, has been delayed in the US for the same reason. Razer also delayed the US availability of its Raiju V3 Pro wireless controller<\/a>, saying that it\u2019s waiting on clearance. Numerous other devices might be in the same boat, and the longer the shutdown stretches, the worse the backlog will get.<\/p>\n Any product that emits radio frequencies cannot be sold in the US until the FCC provides clearance, ensuring the emissions fall within approved frequencies and don\u2019t cause interference with other devices. Typically, this is a routine process. But because it\u2019s not considered an essential function of the agency, as the government shutdown enters its 27th day, manufacturers are facing a growing backlog with no end in sight, says Harold Feld, SVP at Public Knowledge<\/a>. \u201cYou can\u2019t get them off the boats until they have their certification,\u201d Feld tells The Verge.<\/p>\n Government shutdowns have impacted FCC approval in past years, but even if the shutdown ends soon, the application queue likely won\u2019t be cleared as quickly as companies hope. \u201cThe FCC has lost a large number of engineers as a result of retirement,\u201d Feld says. While he believes it mostly avoided the purge that befell some other agencies under Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency, he says it\u2019s still dealing with an aging, dwindling workforce of people to test the devices it approves.<\/p>\n More disruptive yet is how the FCC under the Trump administration is reshaping its rules, which could lead to unexpected product delays and confusion. On September 8th<\/a>, the agency decertified numerous Chinese testing labs that companies used to verify that their products\u2019 radio frequency emissions met FCC standards. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr boasted that these \u201cBad Labs\u201d were decertified as a step in \u201crestoring trust in the Commission\u2019s equipment authorization process, and combatting foreign adversary threats.\u201d But it means companies need to add one more step to their process: \u201cYou have to go and find another lab that has still got its certification in order to certify your product,\u201d says Feld.<\/p>\n