Peter P. wrote:

>>> In general, world wide.
>> 
>> That doesn't exist, as a regulation. It's specific for each country (or
>> commercial zone that have synced their regulations, like the EU). So you
>> have to study the regulations for each target market.
> 
> Still there are oodles of devices that work anywhere. 

As others have said, it is a bit more complex :)

In general, I think you have to distinguish for commercial devices (and I
may miss a few):

- operator license (like ham radio operators, telecom companies)

- product certification (like FCC, with certified lab reports)

- product self certification (like CE, no official lab reports required but
the product is required to have the sticker)

- no certification required but existing regulations need to be met
(probably in practice pretty much the same as self certification; at least
I don't see a real difference)

- the difference between possessing, selling commercially, selling
privately, operating commercially and operating privately which may affect
any of the above and also the consequences of non-compliance (like a
private user operating an illegal device may face simply confiscation of
the device while the company that sold it may face confiscation of all
related stock plus a stiff fine)

- regulations of any of the above kinds exist but are not or rarely
enforced or can be circumvented by payments of bribes (the required
know-how in this case is how to avoid being caught, or how to avoid being
affected when caught, or how and to whom to pay the bribes)

- no regulations at all (not sure this exists)


All but the last imply that some regulations (official or unofficial) exist
-- and these will always be specific to a certain administrative entity. So
for each country or entity where you want to sell, you have to check the
specific situation. It also depends whether you are in the country under
consideration or have assets there (I think often devices illegal in a
certain country are sold there online by companies that are not located in
that country, and leave these "details" of operation up to the user). 

Even if others seem to be able to sell something without getting bothered
by the authorities, you don't know what exactly they did or do to be able
to do so. Met some specs? Bribed the right guy? Just know that they can't
be bothered by the authorities of the country where they sell? 


> Especially because the same institution (FCC) allows some horrible
> 'unintentional radiators' to pollute the radio spectrum at levels that
> are inconceivable for anything but jammers imho.

Well, and if you sell an unintentional radiator for use in cars, it doesn't
even have to pass any FCC certification. You could sell your little
transmitter as a psychedelic LED blinker for use in a car that happens to
have a non-intentional radiation that by coincidence can be received in a
nearby FM radio... Don't quote me on this, though :)

Gerhard

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