FCC proposes to rewrite its 2002 UWB rules
The FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on 30 September 2026 and released it on 1 October as FCC 26-66, in ET Docket 26-245. It is the first general review of the UWB rules in Part 15 Subpart F since they were written in 2002, and its starting point is an admission: the technology has outpaced the rules, and a stream of near-identical waivers has filled the gap. The proposal would turn much of that waiver practice into rules, and it opens questions that go further, including the emission limits themselves.
In short:
- The "at any point in time" bandwidth test would leave the UWB transmitter definition, so swept, stepped, hopped and notched waveforms can qualify.
- Swept-frequency and gated devices would be measured in their normal operating mode, without a waiver.
- A new UWB device class would cover compact devices in fixed or mobile, indoor or outdoor use, the category behind most recent waivers for outdoor door locks and vehicle and rail ranging.
- The proposed rule text drops the toy prohibition, permits operation on ships within inland waters, and deletes the section 15.525 coordination requirement.
- Nothing changes yet. These are proposals, and the comment period runs 30 days, with replies at 60 days, from publication in the Federal Register.
Why the FCC is reopening Subpart F
Section titled “Why the FCC is reopening Subpart F”Subpart F was written for a handful of device types: ground penetrating radars, wall and through-wall imaging, surveillance, medical imaging, indoor systems and handheld systems. Each type has its own bands, emission limits and operating restrictions. The NPRM records that UWB is now used for keyless entry, factory and home automation, asset tracking, indoor navigation and sports tracking, and that many of these products only reached the market through individual waivers.
The clearest example is the handheld category. Its rules require the device to be hand-held and forbid fixed outdoor infrastructure. Paragraph 36 of the NPRM describes a sharp increase in nearly identical waiver requests for outdoor keyless entry and door lock systems, vehicle and rail safety ranging and precision tracking, which typically drew little or no public comment and produced no reports of harmful interference. The Commission concludes that the current rules are more restrictive than necessary.
What the proposed rule text changes
Section titled “What the proposed rule text changes”Appendix A of the NPRM sets out the rule changes the Commission is proposing:
| Rule | Today | Proposed |
|---|---|---|
| § 15.503(d), UWB transmitter definition | Fractional bandwidth of 0.20 or more, or 500 MHz or more, at any point in time | The same thresholds, without "at any point in time" |
| § 15.505(a), provisions that do not apply to UWB | §§ 15.35(c) and 15.205 | § 15.31(c) added to the list |
| § 15.521(a), operating restrictions | No use in toys; no operation on aircraft, ships or satellites | No operation on aircraft, on a ship not within inland waters, or on a satellite; the toy prohibition is gone from the text |
| § 15.525, coordination | UWB imaging systems must be coordinated through the FCC before use | Removed and reserved |
Paragraph 19 adds the measurement change that goes with the definition: when pulse gating is used, measurements could be made in normal operating mode, so the hop, step or sequence function would no longer have to be stopped for compliance testing. Today, as paragraph 16 recalls, that flexibility exists through a 2005 waiver granted to the MBOA-SIG, which the Commission said at the time it intended to codify.
On toys, the text and the discussion are worth reading together. The proposed § 15.521(a) no longer contains the prohibition, while paragraph 25 asks whether it should be removed and, if it is kept, whether "toy" should finally be defined.
A new device class, still to be specified
Section titled “A new device class, still to be specified”Paragraph 37 proposes a new UWB device category for compact devices operating in mobile or fixed configurations, indoors or outdoors. The safeguards it sketches are both physical and technical:
- Physical: height limits, mounting restrictions, emissions directed downward.
- Technical: duty cycle limits, power spectral density constraints, antenna directivity requirements, pulse repetition frequency restrictions, or combinations of them.
- Operational: transmission only during active, event-driven sessions, idle otherwise, and no wide area networks.
The numbers are not set. The NPRM asks whether duty cycle should be measured over 24 hours or a shorter interval, what dwell time and pulse repetition limits should apply, and whether antenna beam widths of 30, 60 or 90 degrees should be required. It also asks whether slightly higher power could be allowed for antennas that confine emissions to the horizontal plane when paired with very low duty cycles. For this class, the outcome will depend on the technical record that commenters file.
Questions that go further
Section titled “Questions that go further”The NPRM also opens a wider review, without proposing rule text:
- Emission limits: whether the conservative limits set in 2002 should be revisited.
- Eligibility: whether the professional-user restrictions on imaging systems can be relaxed or removed, and whether the imaging rules should be merged into one framework.
- Marketing and labelling: whether the § 15.507 marketing restrictions are still needed, or could become a single standard label.
- The ten-second rule: whether the fixed shut-off interval for manually or remotely controlled transmitters is still needed, or should give way to a performance-based approach.
- Aircraft, ships, satellites and drones: whether UWB could be used on board, including for autonomous drone navigation and landing, and with what safeguards.
What to do
Section titled “What to do”- If you hold or plan a UWB waiver, read paragraphs 12 to 46 against your product. A swept or stepped waveform, an outdoor door lock or a fixed ranging anchor may fit the proposed rules without a waiver once they are adopted.
- Keep certifying under the current rules. Until a Report and Order is adopted and takes effect, Subpart F applies as written, and the waiver process stays available: the NPRM says it is not proposing any change to it.
- Consider filing comments if the new device class matters to you. Its duty cycle, beam width and pulse repetition limits are open, and the Commission explicitly asks for technical studies.
- Watch for Federal Register publication. The comment deadline runs 30 days from it, and replies 60 days.
Going further
Section titled “Going further”- UWB and FiRa Consortium certification: the regulatory and interoperability stack for UWB ranging products in the EU, US, Japan and Korea
- FCC scope: which products follow which procedure
- FCC procedure: certification, SDoC and the role of the TCB
Sources & references
- Unleashing the Power of Unlicensed Ultra-Wideband Devices, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 26-66, ET Docket 26-245, Federal Communications Commission docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-26-66A1.pdf
- Sunshine Act notice, Open Commission Meeting of 30 September 2026 (91 FR, 29 September 2026), US Government Publishing Office www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-29/pdf/2026-19920.pdf
- 47 CFR Part 15, Subpart F, Ultra-Wideband Operation, eCFR www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-15/subpart-F