ISED Canada Certification Services

ISED Canada Certification Services

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada (ISED) regulates the radio spectrum for all transmitters operated in Canada. The Radio Standards Specifications (RSS) detail the technical requirements for radio transmitters.

ISED has dominion over many aspects of Canadian commerce, regulatory affairs and compliance, from Aboriginal Affairs to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The ISED regulations covering radio frequency devices are structured with RSS-GEN essentially the equivalent of Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 47 Part 2 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. RSS-GEN covers matters relating to procedures for certification, including technical and administrative requirements.

The necessary information for review and certification include many of the same requirements of FCC Certification, including

Application form
Letters of Agency
Test Report
Schematics
Block Diagram
Attestation Forms
User Manual
Warning Statements (depends on the type of device)
SAR Report (if required)

ISED has largely harmonized the requirements for Certification of Radio Frequency Devices with the FCC's requirements with the exception of the Permit-But-Ask procedure and the Knowledge Database (KDB) process.

However, specific procedures are necessary to demonstrate compliance with the administration of the Certification program. An "IC Number" is issued by ISED, after which the device can be placed on the Radio Equipment List (REL).